File No. 763.72111/3929
Memorandum of the Counselor for the Department of State ( Polk )
The French Ambassador called and showed me a letter from the Department asking for an explanation of the conduct of the French cruiser Descartes off the coast of Porto Rico. The charge apparently was that the Descartes had been watching too closely the coast of Porto Rico and had entered the territorial waters. He said he had heard from the commander of the ship and the commander said that between the dates mentioned he had had information that the German merchant ships President, Farn, and another intended to escape from the harbor and they feared they would become commerce destroyers. For that reason, the French were unusually on the alert. Apparently, in the Ambassador’s opinion, he did not do more than great caution demanded. The Ambassador went on to say that they had given no further grounds for complaint since that day. Although he did not say it, he intimated that the commander would use greater care in the future.