The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain (Page)
4250. Your 5290, December 7, 4 p. m. Since you have modified the character of the representations which the Department outlined in its 4117, December 2, Department hopes you will make particular efforts to obtain favorable action as to shipments of seed still detained in Rotterdam as to which you state in your 5290 you made further representations. Great difficulty and expense is being caused by indefinite delay in this case and you will make plain to Foreign Office that as importers acted in good faith upon information given them by Department based upon your 3760 February 11,1 Department’s good faith in matter is involved and under circumstances it has grounds to expect favorable and prompt action as to these two shipments, the Department being willing if this is granted to leave question of further shipments of seed to future discussion and not to regard action of British authorities in this case as a precedent.
In order to impress British Government with importance of this matter the question of these shipments was taken up with British Embassy on November 14 and Crawford seemed to understand the justice of our contention. Embassy transmitted memorandum re matter to Foreign Office which replied that it thought advisable that discussion of question be continued through you rather than through Embassy here.