Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 7, 1909

File No. 8344/9A.

The Secretary of State to Minister Graves.

[Telegram.—Paraphrase.]

Department of State,
Washington, August 6, 1909.

Referring to the department’s telegram of April 30 last, Mr. Knox states that the tariff act, signed by the President on August 5, 1909, requires that notice of termination be given of commercial agreements entered into under section 3 of the tariff act of July 24, 1897; that in the case of agreements which contain no stipulations in regard to termination by diplomatic action, the President is authorized to give to the countries concerned notice of termination of six months, which notice shall date from April 30, 1909. Instructs Mr. Graves, by direction of the President, to give formal notice to the Government of the Swiss Confederacy of the intended revocation of the proclamation of the President of the United States dated January 1, 1906, said termination to take effect six months from April 30, 1909, namely October 31, 1909. Mr. Knox adds that formal notice of this intention was to-day given to the Swiss Legation in Washington.