Ambassador Meyer to the Secretary of State.
St. Petersburg, August 10, 1906.
Sir: In reply to the department’s instruction, No. 142, of May 19, inclosing a letter from the Savage Arms Company, I beg to report that a careful inquiry into the matter of the alleged relaxation of the prohibition against the importation of firearms into the Russian Empire discloses no discrimination against American firms in this respect. It has been further explained to me that if, after the prohibition against such importation had gone into effect, any small firearms had been permitted to pass through the custom-houses they could only have been intended for some government institution, and in such case the clearance of said small firearms must have required a special permit from the director of customs; the director of customs, however, has no knowledge that any such permits have been issued.
I have, etc.,