File No. 763.72112/377
The Ambassador in Great Britain ( Page ) to the Secretary of State
London , November 13, 1914, 7 p.m. .
[Received November 14, 12.05 a.m.]
[Telegram]
Your 511, November 10. I have again gone over the whole question of detaining copper cargoes with Sir Edward Grey. His position in general is that when war material such as copper is shipped to a neutral country bordering on an enemy’s country, and when the normal supply of the neutral of that material has been far exceeded by shipments since the war began, the British Government must require some responsible guarantee that any shipment in question shall not go to the enemy country. With such guarantee it will stop no cargo. Without such guarantee the overwhelming presumption is that it is destined for the enemy country. He maintains that all war materials shipped to anybody in Germany are now inevitably destined for the German Army, since the army is in complete command of all departments of the Government and of all industry. It is upon this principle that the arrangements have been made with the Scandinavian countries and are in process with the Netherlands and Italian Governments. In short the British Government will not interfere with bona fide commerce with neutral countries. But the evidence of bona fides must be some acceptable assurance that the [Page 346] goods are for neutral use, especially when consigned to the shipper or in blank.
I have direct information from the Foreign Office but not from Grey that British Government has documentary proof that some of these copper cargoes were bought for the German Government and paid for before they left New York, and that the ship’s papers were made out so as to conceal this fact.
About the particular cargoes of the ship Kroonland, and others stopped at Gibraltar, I again asked for promised detailed statement and Grey has again promised it forthwith. The truth is, and the experience of my colleagues confirms my own, that the Admiralty are more and more in command of the Government. The Foreign Office lacks nothing in courtesy and promptness. But it cannot hurry the Admiralty which, of course, is primarily concerned with the conduct of the war. I shall press daily for answer in detail.