File No. 763.72112/1055
The Consul General at London (Skinner) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 27.]
Sir: Referring to the Ambassador’s telegram to the Department dated April 6,1 stating on behalf of the British Foreign Office that all cargo of the S. S. Segurança, except green coffee, should be reconsigned to the Netherlands Oversea Trust,” and subsequent correspondence on the same subject, I have the honor to call attention again to the attitude of the British Government in undertaking to force the reconsignment of goods to the Netherlands Oversea Trust at the expense of shippers, and its assumption that goods not so consigned are forwarded in violation of existing laws and regulations notwithstanding the plain prescriptions of the Declaration of London, Order in Council No. 2, of October 29, 1914.
While the British authorities are, in practice, requiring the reconsignment of cargoes of absolute and conditional contraband to the Dutch Government, or to the Netherlands Oversea Trust, as though these were requirements of international or municipal law, as a matter of fact the only known rule for which it accepts responsibility is the Declaration of London, Order in Council No. 2, already referred to.
Some time ago I requested the Ambassador to ascertain why ships were being detained and compelled to reconsign to the Netherlands Oversea Trust, and whether the Order in Council No. 2 had been modified to require reconsignment to that concern, and the answer from the Foreign Office now received is as follows:
Sir E. Grey presents his compliments to the United States Ambassador and, with reference to the enquiry made by his excellency as to consignments of [Page 375] cargoes to the Netherlands Oversea Trust, has the honour to reply that, with the exception of an announcement of the Board of Trade (copy of which is enclosed for his excellency’s information) concerning the export of tin, no official notice of the arrangement made with the Netherlands Oversea Trust has been published in this country.
Instructions were however telegraphed on February 24 last to His Majesty’s Ambassador at Washington and through him to the British consular officers in the United States to advise American exporters and shippers as to consigning goods to the Netherlands Oversea Trust, as was explained at the time in a letter addressed by Sir E. Crowe under the same date to Mr. Laughlin.
I have [etc.]