File No. 811.015256/2.
The American Minister to the Secretary of State.
The Hague , November 1, 1913 .
Sir: Referring to the Department’s instruction of August 9 last, No. 62, in regard to the use of the American flag in the city of Amsterdam, I have the honor to report that on receipt thereof the matter was brought to the attention of the Foreign Office and that I am [Page 1019] this day in receipt of a note from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, stating that there are no penal provisions in the Netherlands permitting of the prosecution in a court of justice of persons using the flag of a foreign nation for advertising purposes. Jhr. Loudon adds that nevertheless the Minister of Justice has brought the matter to the notice of the Municipality of Amsterdam and suggested that the authorization to fly a flag on the house front should be withdrawn, and that the proprietor of the “American Bar,” at the advice of the police, has voluntarily stated that he will remove the flag and no longer use it.
I have [etc.]