File No. 195.1/489
The Secretary of State to the Acting Secretary of Commerce (Sweet)
Sir: In reply to your letter of the 28th instant,1 regarding the alleged purchase of eleven steamships by the American Transatlantic Company of Delaware from certain neutral countries, and the desire of the company to place these ships under American registry for the South American trade, I have the honor to say that I see no reason, from the point of view of our diplomatic relations with foreign powers, why registry should be denied to these ships. Of course, the Department cannot say that the transfer of flag in these cases will not be challenged by belligerents or that the ships will not be arrested on the high seas and taken before a prize court for judicial examination.
I have [etc.]
- Not printed.↩