File No. 300.115/10832
The Ambassador in Great Britain (Page) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 28, 8.15 a. m.]
5223. Your 4075, November 23, 6 p. m. I venture respectfully to suggest that the unrecorded Stabler-Cadogan agreement be disregarded [Page 542] by the Department as a basis of contention, since an insistence on the point will in my opinion prove an obstacle to future discussion of beet-seed shipments.
Embassy files appear to lack any documentary proof of making this agreement or its acceptance by Foreign Office, and latter has twice written me that no record exists of any agreement having been made and that Cadogan could not have acted without written authority.
Pending consideration of question of new shipments by Allied Governments as stated in my cable 5171 of November 17, 5 p. m., does Department desire me to ask changes in old system either by negotiating a maximum yearly quantity to be definitely allowed or in any other way?
Under present scheme British Government require application for permits to be made as prior to February 1916, individual permits to be made for each shipment from Germany and Austria to United States.