File No. 763.72/3584

The Chargé in the Netherlands ( Langhorne) to the Secretary of State

[Telegram]

798. Department’s 438, March 13, 4 p.m., and circular March 16, 2 p.m. Communication dated March 22 received to-day from Minister for Foreign Affairs containing following information:

By virtue of the Royal Decree of July 30, 1914, the presence of war vessels or vessels assimilated thereto belonging to foreign powers within the territorial waters and the inland waters of the Netherlands is not permitted.

Armed merchant vessels fall within the category of vessels assimilated to war vessels without any distinction being made between the case where the owner of the ship has furnished her with armament on his own authority and the case where the foreign government has placed a military force on board the vessel for her protection.

The Royal Decree does not apply to the colonies of the Netherlands.

Copy of the above-mentioned decree was contained in Legation’s despatch No. 120, dated July 30, 1914.1 The affair of the Princess Melita, a British armed merchantman which was refused admission at Rotterdam until it had disarmed, made an issue by the British Government in connection with obtaining freedom of entry of armed merchantmen into Dutch ports. Minister for Foreign Affairs in [Page 556] formed me to-day in conversation that both English and French Governments have [appeared?] in this affair; that the position of Dutch Government was extremely difficult but that it could not give in. He feared that entire Dutch commerce would be stopped as a result of the disagreement in this matter but he hoped for the best.

Langhorne
  1. Not printed.