File No. 5727/272b.
The Acting Secretary of State to the German Ambassador.
Washington, April 30, 1909.
Excellency: The Congress of the United States has effectively declared its intention to supersede the present customs tariff law of the United States by a new law, which is now under discussion, and which will probably be enacted within a few weeks.
One of the necessary results of this change will be that the commercial agreements made by the President under the authority of the act of July 24, 1897, will no longer be applicable to the conditions which will exist under the new law. The Government of the United States accordingly finds it necessary to give notice of the intention to terminate all of these agreements.
By direction of the President, I have therefore the honor hereby to give, through Your Excellency, to the Imperial German Government formal notice on behalf of the United States of the intended termination of the commercial agreement signed at Washington on April 22, 1907, and at Levico on May 2, 1907. Further communication on this subject will be made after the passage of legislative measures affecting the bases on which these agreements were concluded.
Accept, etc,