File No. 4960/54.

Ambassador Leishman to the Secretary of State.

[Telegram.—Paraphrase.]

(No. 42. Refers to his telegram of April 10 and the department’s telegraphic instructions of April 13, and states that he has received a note from the Sublime Porte which says that, in reply to the different communications addressed by him to the Sultan concerning certain affairs discussed between the imperial ministry and the American embassy, he is informed that in compliance with a mazbata of the council of ministers sanctioned by iracle of His Imperial Majesty, the Sultan, the Sublime Porte has decided as follows:

Firstly, that the Sublime Porte has by imperial order already communicated to the embassy the decision reached previously of treating American institutions and establishments in Turkey on the same footing as those of other nations; that, in applying this principle, the Sublime Porte has proceeded to correct the registers of such institutions and establishments which form part of the list filed by the embassy which were occupied by and in the possession of Americans, but without regular deeds of title; and that an irade of His Imperial Majesty the Sultan has just ordered the execution of this formality so far as it concerns the institutions and establishments of which the embassy had requested the change of titles and which were submitted [Page 1054] to the sovereign sanction after an examination by the competent departments. Secondly, that the necessary orders have been transmitted already to the vilayet of Angora so that the local authorities should not raise objections to the construction of new buildings to be added to the school and dispensary at Talas. Thirdly, that the customs authorities at Salonica and in Syria have also received orders to grant to the existing American institutions and establishments the legal regime of customs immunities enjoyed by other similar foreign establishments; and, fourthly, that the department of indirect contributions has been requested to apply the method of coloring cottonseed oils only when they are impure or adulterated. States that the above notice was signed Tewfik.

Asks if, in view of these concessions, the department authorizes him to give our adhesion to the customs increase. Says that the representatives of all the great European powers have already signed.)