File No. 300.115/11567
The Ambassador in Great Britain (Page) to the Secretary of State
No. 5748
London,
February 2, 1917
.
[Received February
13.]
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.]
[Enclosure]
The British Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs (Grey) to
the American Ambassador (Page)
No. 8534/C
London,
February 1, 1917
.
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
