File No. 300.115/1761
The Ambassador in Great Britain ( Page ) to the Secretary of State
London , December 13, 1914, 5 p.m.
[Received December 14, 8 a.m.]
[Telegram]
1255. Your 617, November 25, and 643, November 28, and 673, December 3.1 I have just received the following facts from Sir Edward Grey:
The Francisco, Idaho, and Toronto, were not detained: It was, however, decided that the 200 tons of copper which each of these vessels carried should be requisitioned by the Admiralty as His Majesty’s Government were in doubt as to the ultimate destination of the three consignments. Guarantees were [Page 363] offered in respect of their innocent destination but these were not considered satisfactory or adequate.
The Antares carried a large quantity of copper concerning whose real destination there are strong suspicions. It was therefore not considered safe to release the copper and it was decided that the prize-court proceedings must take their course.
The Tyranta 1 is quite unknown to His Majesty’s Government and it is not to be found in Lloyd’s Register. The Res is equally unknown to His Majesty’s Government.
Your 684, December 4.2 Sir Edward Grey’s statement is as follows:
The Sif’s cargo consisted of grain, varnish, and copper consigned to Sweden. The latter only was detained and there are grave doubts as to its real destination being Sweden. The grain and varnish were allowed to proceed.
The cargo of the Sigrun consisted of cattle feeding stuffs, copper-wire ingots and wire bars, rubber and lubricating oil. His Majesty’s Government had definite information that the rubber was shipped on a German order. The ultimate destination of the other items was also suspected. It was accordingly decided that prize-court proceedings must be instituted with respect to the vessel as well as her cargo.
Your 680, December 3.3 The statement given me follows:
The Alfred Nobel was put into the prize court for carrying conditional contraband; her cargo consisted of wheat and meat, partly tinned. Among the exporters were the firms of Morris, Armour, and Swift, all of whom are believed to have executed contracts for large quantities for supplying the German Army. Practically the whole cargo was consigned “to order.” The vessel was chartered by a German company to the Gans Steamship Company, with head office at Hamburg and a branch at New York. Besides, it was known to His Majesty’s Government that meat merchants at Copenhagen had been approached by the United States shippers of the cargo on this vessel in order that they might be induced to lend names so as to appear to be the legitimate owners of the cargo. The Alfred Nobel is known to have been generally and regularly engaged in the German trade.
The cargo of the Tyr consisted of copper, rubber, oats, and oil cake, the fifty-nine cases of rubber being described as gum. It was decided that the feeding stuff should be allowed to proceed; and that in view of the small quantity of copper on board, prize-court proceedings should not be instituted as regards the vessel but only as regards the copper and rubber, the former being in part consigned “to order” and the innocent destination in both cases being a matter of serious doubt.
The vessels Björnson, Fridland, and Kim, were detained under similar circumstances to the Alfred Nobel , the cargoes being all consigned “to order,” in addition to which rubber shipped as “gum” was found in the Fridland and Kim.