Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1916, Supplement, The World War

File No. 341.115Am319/236

The Ambassador in Great Britain (Page) to the Secretary of State

No. 4292

London, July 19, 1916 .
[Received July 31.]

Sir: With reference to the Department’s cablegram No. 3393 of June 3,¹ and to previous correspondence in regard to the American Transatlantic Company, I have the honor to enclose herewith, for the information of the Department, a copy of the note which has been received from the Foreign Office, under date of July 18, in reply to the Embassy’s representations in the premises based upon the Department’s cablegram above mentioned.

I have [etc.]

Walter Hines Page

[Enclosure]

The British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Grey) to the American Ambassador (Page)

No. 130558/X

London, July 18, 1916 .

Your Excellency: With reference to the note which you were good enough to address to me on the 6th ultimo in regard to the case of the American Transatlantic Company and to your request therein to be more fully informed as to the bearing of the statement in my note of the 31st May¹ that His Majesty’s Government can not admit that the conditional undertaking not to capture these vessels implied any promise of favourable treatment in the matter of British bunker coals, the supply of which, in present circumstances, they are compelled to subordinate to whatever conditions appear to them desirable in the interests of this country and its allies, I have the honour to inform your excellency that British bunker coal is only supplied to vessels actually engaged in voyages beneficial to some extent to the United Kingdom or to our allies, or to vessels upon the ships’ white list. The particular vessels in question not complying with any of these conditions, they can not in existing circumstances receive British bunkers.

I have [etc.]

For the Secretary of State:

Maurice de Bunsen

1. Not printed; see No. 3341, May 19, 1916, ante, p. 392.
1. Not printed.