File No. 763.72112/2664
The Ambassador in Great Britain (Page) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 24, 1 p. m.]
4493. On receipt of your 3451, June 21, 6 p. m., I communicated the news of Mr. Wyvell’s expected arrival to the Foreign Office from which I had heard nothing since I presented your 3385, June 2, 4 p. m. To my surprise I was informed that the Foreign Office had not consented to the procedure as outlined in your 3385. This morning I am in receipt of a private communication from Foreign Office the essential part of which I quote as follows:
Putting forward the proposal. We at once replied that we were totally unable to agree to make our decisions in any way dependent upon the cooperation of a delegate of the State Department, and instructed Sir C. Spring Rice to inform the State Department that we were not prepared to discuss either with Mr. Wyvell or with anyone else “technicalities” or any other points in connection with applications which had already been before us.
Sir C. Spring Rice replied that the State Department were of opinion that in order to satisfy trade opinion in the United States it would be useful if the question could be finally closed by our affording a representative of the State Department an opportunity to discuss certain technicalities upon which they had been urged to approach us, and we at once answered that we remained of opinion that it would be undesirable for many reasons to reopen these questions and desired to have some particulars as to what exactly we were wished to discuss.
We then learned that the State Department thought that in certain cases the decision of the Embassy in rejecting claims had been based upon too narrow a construction of the rules laid down [for its] guidance by His Majesty’s Government and that the Department felt it was not unreasonable to ask that we should afford them an opportunity of discussing these decisions in the light of the evidence at their disposal.
In view of this reiterated request Sir Edward Grey telegraphed that he was anxious to meet the State Department’s views in any way possible, but that he does not see his way to make any further concessions as to enemy exports [Page 530] both on the merits and view of the exceedingly strong public opinion in this [country] on this question. If Mr. Wyvell came over and we rejected all his proposals, would not more friction be caused than if his visit were prevented? It seemed to Sir Edward Grey that, being obliged as we were to abide by our decision, it was only asking for trouble to encourage Mr. Wyvell’s visit. If, however, with full knowledge of all these facts the State Department still insisted on sending Mr. Wyvell over, we would naturally not refuse to receive him and give him a hearing.
Sir C. Spring Rice answered that he had definitely told the State Department that we would make no further concessions and that Mr. Wyvell’s visit could have no fruitful results. The State Department were nevertheless anxious that we should give Mr. Wyvell a hearing, as this would enable them to demonstrate to exporters that everything possible had been done by them.
The position is therefore that we expect Mr. Wyvell to sail for England at about the end of this month, and that we have expressed our readiness to receive him and listen to what he has to put forward, but feel precluded from allowing our decision from being [to be] reconsidered or fresh concessions to be made.