Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 6, 1904

Mr. McCormick to Mr. Hay.

[Telegram.—Paraphrase.]

American Embassy,
St. Petersburg, September 19, 1904.

(Mr. McCormick reports that the minister for foreign affairs stated in an interview that he accepted the principle as set forth in Department’s instructions, reserving, however, that all goods consigned to commercial houses in open Japanese ports should be accepted as noncontraband, but conditionally so, which means that the burden of the proof of noncontraband character of any merchandise seized would be on the merchants.)