File No. 600.119/70
The Norwegian Minister ( Bryn) to the Secretary of State
Aide-Mémoire
As he understands that the question of regulating the exportation of foodstuffs from the United States to some of the neutral countries in Europe is among the matters to be considered during the forthcoming conversations at Washington between the American Government and representatives of Great Britain and France the Norwegian Minister begs to communicate to the American Government for their confidential use the following information received from the Norwegian Government:
The entire importation of foodstuffs from America to Norway is covered by prohibitions of exportation and by agreements between the Norwegian importers in the branch of commerce concerned and the British Government. The Norwegian Government has approved these agreements whereby exportation of imported goods contrary to declarations made at the time of the importation of such goods, is rendered punishable. The Norwegian Government have pledged themselves towards the British Government not to grant permit for the exportation of goods contrary to the said agreements unless such permit shall have been recommended by the Norwegian association representing the branch of commerce concerned, the Norwegian associations of the branches of commerce having in their turn bound themselves towards the British Government to recommend that such permit be granted only against the written consent thereto of the British Legation at Christiania. This obligation on the part of the said Norwegian associations does not only affect the goods imported into Norway under the agreements in question between the Norwegian branch of commerce concerned and the British Government, but it embraces also products of Norway of a similar kind. For instance, by the agreement between the Norwegian association concerned and the British Government in regard to grain and flour the Norwegian Government is bound not to grant dispensation for exportation to Germany either of domestic Norwegian or of imported grain and flour as well as of products thereof. In the same way the agreement in regard to raw materials for margarine prevents the Norwegian Government from granting dispensation for exportation to Germany even of butter made in Norway. All the agreements concluded between the Norwegian branch-associations concerned and the British Government are based on the same principle which prevents from being exported to Germany all similar articles of Norwegian production.
The Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs has finally directed the Minister at Washington to represent to the American Government [Page 1017] that owing to Norway’s own insufficient production of foodstuffs famine would result in Norway unless the country’s supply of foodstuffs from the United States be maintained as up to the present time.
The Norwegian Minister ventures to hope that the above information may be found satisfactory.
[For a description of the general position of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden “as regards trade with the Allies and with the enemy, and as regards shipping,” together with recommendations as to American policy, see memorandum from the British Embassy, May 7, 1917, ante, page 828.]