File No. 763.72111/3664
The Secretary of State to the Secretary of the Treasury (McAdoo)
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 20th instant,1 in which you ask this Department to furnish your Department with a statement of the items of information which collectors should report regarding the arrival in the ports of the United States of merchant vessels with guns mounted on them.
In reply I have the honor to say that this Department would like reports from the collectors as to the caliber of the guns; whether they are mounted, and on what part of the vessel they are mounted; their arc of fire; the amount of ammunition on board; the use to which the guns have been put during the voyage, particularly whether they have been used to fire on submarines before the latter gave warning; facts regarding the gun crew, whether they are naval gunners, whether any of the officers are naval officers, what if any instruction they or the gun crew or the owners may have received from the government of the vessel’s nationality in regard to the use of the guns, what penalties are attached to the disregard of such instructions, what use is intended to be made of the armament; the general character of fuel, supplies, cargo, and passengers carried by the vessel; and any other facts which may appear to the collectors important or useful in assisting this Department in determining the question whether the guns on board have been or may be used for offensive purposes at sea.
I have [etc.]
- Not printed.↩