File No. 763.72111/3826
The Secretary of the Treasury (McAdoo) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 22.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to your letter requesting that the collectors of customs be instructed to make report upon a merchant vessel’s armament each time the vessel arrives.
This Department notices that this course results, especially in the case of liners arriving at New York, in many duplicate reports, since on each trip the pertinent facts are substantially the same.
I will thank you to inform me, therefore, whether it will not suffice for the purposes of your Department to have reports made and specify authority for clearance requested only when there is some material change in the armament, etc., from what has already been reported on a preceding arrival of the same vessel.
By direction of the Secretary.
Respectfully,
Assistant Secretary