File No. 662.116/19
The Chargé in Great Britain (Laughlin) to the Secretary of State
[Received 2 p. m.]
4902. Your 3767, August 31, 1 p. m. Am to-day in receipt of a note from the Foreign Office in the sense of the following:
British Government unable to regard a German prohibition of import of tobacco as evidence of intention on the part of the Germans to stop all importation. It is well known that such prohibitions are commonly created with a view to regulating and not stopping import, and in this case British Government is unaware of any circumstances tending to show that German Government will not issue licenses for import. In fact British Government is in possession of reliable information to the effect that the German Government is negotiating with the Swedish Government for the importation of large quantities of tobacco into Germany. It also appears to British Government that it is quite possible that action of the German Government is attributable to a desire to facilitate import of tobacco by inducing British Government to modify or withdraw the restrictions which it has sought to impose; therefore British Government regrets inability to remove restrictions as to guarantees required in case of shipment to Scandinavia and consignment to the Netherlands Oversea Trust of shipments to Holland.