File No. 811.142/1376
You are instructed to secure the requested permits as promptly as
possible, and cable reply.
[Enclosure]
The Chairman of the Central Committee of the
American Red Cross (ex-President
Taft) to the Secretary of State
Washington,
February 12, 1916
.
Dear Mr. Secretary: Up to the present time
all permits necessary for the shipment of hospital supplies to the
Central powers have been obtained through the British Embassy in
this city. The last permit issued by the British Ambassador was for
a shipment of supplies destined for the Red Cross Societies of
Germany, Austria, and Bulgaria, which sailed from New York on the S.
S. Nieuw Amsterdam of the Holland-America
Line January 18, 1916. These shipments were consigned to the
American Minister at The Hague, who in turn was requested to forward
them to their destinations.
The British Ambassador, who has been most kind regarding these
permits, has now requested the American Red Cross to make all
applications for future permits through our State Department at
Washington and the American Ambassador at London. We have at present
ready for shipment at our warehouse in South Brooklyn, New York, 323
cases of supplies, of which number we desire to send 313 to the
German Red Cross, 86 to the Austrian Red Cross, and 4 to the
American Ambassador at Constantinople for Turkish relief.
The American Red Cross asks for a permit for the safe conduct of
these supplies on any vessel sailing to the port of Rotterdam,
Holland, for delivery to the American Minister at The Hague, to be
by him transmitted to the countries mentioned. This request is made
under the provisions of the treaty of Geneva, 1864, as revised 1906,
Chapter 4, Article 16. These cases have been repacked at our Red
Cross warehouse under reliable inspectors, and it will be noted that
the accompanying lists contain exact details of the contents of each
box.2 It
is therefore requested that you address the British Government for
the necessary permits, indicating that early action in the premises
would be much appreciated by the American Red Cross.
Respectfully yours,