The Secretary of State to the Germany Ambassador.
Excellency: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of February 18, advising me that the German Government is willing to grant to the United States for a certain period those reduced customs duties which have [Page 644] been fixed by the treaties of 1904 and 1905 between Germany, Belgium, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Roumania, Switzerland, and Servia, and that a bill is about to be introduced in the Reichstag with a view to authorize the Bundesrath to grant these reduced duties to the United States until June 30, 1907.
I beg to say that upon the accomplishment of the purpose thus stated, by the assurance to the United States of such reduced duties until the 30th of June, 1907, the President will promptly issue the necessary proclamation for assuring to Germany the reduced duties of section 3 of the Dingley tariff, as heretofore.
I hope that the communication which I had the honor of addressing to you Friday, the 16th instant, enumerating certain proposed changes in the customs administrative law and regulations, will be regarded by your Government as evidence of the President’s strong desire to relieve our customs administration from everything which seems to German exporters to have any feature of se verity. I hope also that during the period which, under the proposed action of the German Government, will continue until the 30th of June, 1907, a satisfactory way will be found to establish a permanent basis for the mutual trade of both countries upon terms satisfactory to both. I am sure that there could not be a more sincere and kindly purpose or more reasonable and open-minded views than have actuated the representatives of both countries in the treatment of this subject, and I feel great confidence that a continuance of the same attitude on both sides will lead to a conclusion in conformity with the strong desire for real friendship between the German and American peoples which we both entertain.
Accept, etc.,