The Secretary of State to
the Danish Minister
Department of State,
Washington,
June 3, 1902.
Dear Mr. Brun: I enclose a memorandum as to
the matter we conversed about some days ago.
Yours faithfully,
[Inclosure—Memorandum]
In case of judgments rendered by the Courts in the Danish West Indies
and from which appeals shall have been taken to the Supreme Court of
Denmark before the cession of the Islands to the United States, the
Department is of the opinion that the latter court could not, in the
absence of a treaty authorizing it, exercise jurisdiction to enforce
its judgment within the United States as foreign territory; nor in
such circumstances could the United States Courts enforce whatever
judgment might be rendered by said Appellate Court.
In all cases where no such appeal was taken to the Danish Supreme
Court, before the cession, it would not lie after the cession either
to said Court or to any of the United States Courts, until the
Congress has enacted appropriate legislation authorizing it. But the
Congress does customarily pass such laws in such cases.
Department of State,
Washington, June 3, 1902.
