File No. 300.115/11567

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

No. 5748

Sir: With reference to the Department’s instruction No. 4607 of December 27, 1916, enclosing a copy of a brief prepared by the Mitchell-Bissell Company of New York City, and other correspondence, relative to the urgent need for further supplies of porcelain guides of German origin to be used in the American textile industry, I have the honor to enclose herewith, for the information of the [Page 571] Department, a copy of a note, dated February 1, 1917, which I have received from the Foreign Office in reply to my representations in this connection.

I have [etc.]

Walter Hines Page
[Enclosure]

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

No. 8534/C

Your Excellency: With reference to the memorandum which your excellency communicated to this Department on the 8th ultimo, No. 2189, relative to the desire of Mitchell-Bissell Company of New York to import a quantity of porcelain guides of German manufacture, I have the honour to observe that, at the urgent instance of the United States Government, permits have already on two occasions in the past been granted for the shipment of such goods for that firm from Germany via Holland.

2. On the last occasion on which such facilities were granted in April last year His Majesty’s Ambassador at Washington explained to the State Department that this departure from the usual procedure was only made on the clear understanding that no further requests for shipping permits for such goods could be entertained.

3. In these circumstances His Majesty’s Government regret they are unable to give any undertaking in regard to the shipment of the goods which it is now desired to obtain from Germany.

I have [etc.]

For the Secretary of State:
Victor Wellesley