File No. 441.11B74/13
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain (Page)
1512. Your 2002, April 28. Replying communication Segurança inform Foreign Office owners advise Department that, although British Consul General supervised loading vessel, he did not inform them of practice of consigning shipments to Netherlands Oversea Trust. If British Government wish this practice followed as a matter of convenience, they should bring it to attention of shippers.
The United States Government does not object to consignment of American shipments to Netherlands Oversea Trust, if shippers voluntarily adopt that plan, but it does object to detention by British Government of non-contraband shipments until reconsigned to Netherlands Oversea Trust. Shipments consigned to other consignees in Holland have same legal status as those consigned to Netherlands Oversea Trust. There is no legal justification for detention non-contraband shipments, and burden of proof is on British Government to establish contraband character, and not on shipper to establish non-contraband character.