The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Chile (Shea)
Washington,
November 20, 1916, 4 p. m.
[Telegram]
In view of statement of Chilean Government in your November 16, 5 p. m., which intimates without stating directly that these submarines are for the use of Chile and are not to be transferred to any of the belligerents during the present war, I assume that the Minister of Foreign Affairs would not object to giving this Government an explicit assurance in this sense. I desire to have this assurance in order to disarm criticism which I am sure will arise in certain quarters should these five submarines be allowed to leave American waters for Chile.
Lansing