File No. 763.72112/515
The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador (Spring Rice)
Washington, December 24, 1914.
Excellency: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your note of December 22, 1914, informing me that you are in receipt of a telegram from your Government to the effect that it has decided to add to the list of absolute contraband” resinous products, camphor, and turpentine (oil spirit).1
In reply I have the honor to say that this information is received with profound regret. It is not forgotten that on November 1, I had the honor of receiving a note from you stating that Sir Edward Grey had advised you that resin and turpentine were not on the British list of contraband and that the British Government had no intention of interfering with shipments of these articles. Acting upon the information contained in your said note, the Department advised many interested persons that they might safely ship both resin and turpentine to any of the countries of Europe in neutral bottoms, and the announced position of your Government was given wide publicity. From information coming to the Department, it appears that resin and turpentine have already been loaded in ships carrying cargoes of cotton for various countries of Europe, and that some of these ships have already sailed while others are sailing. This action of your Government will inevitably produce serious complications and confusion, and will be received by American interests involved with alarm.
In this relation, it seems an opportune time for me to say frankly to your excellency that the increasing restriction imposed upon the commerce of neutral countries by the British Government, which restrictions are not deemed to be supported by principle and which result most injuriously to the legitimate trade of this country, produce an acute situation provoking the deep concern of the Department and of the American people. I reserve for future communication the objections which this Government may have to the action, of the British Government in listing resin and turpentine as contraband of war.
Neither is it forgotten that shipments of copper and other products from the United States to the neutral countries of Europe, made prior to the British proclamation and order in council of October 29, have been seized by the British authorities and that apparently the provisions of the said proclamation and order in council are attempted to be applied thereto. Should the same course unfortunately be taken by your Government with reference to shipments of resin and turpentine, occurring before shippers shall have received notice of the recent action of your Government in placing these articles in the list of contraband, resulting in their detention or seizure and that of other cargo shipped in the same vessels, this Government will doubtless be called upon to make urgent representation in behalf of the rights of its citizens thus imperiled.
I have [etc.]