File No. 657.119/129b
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain ( Page)
5755. For McCormick:
Progress with Norway has been impossible owing to Norway’s failure to furnish details of her requirements. In order to make perfectly clear that delays are not our fault we favor making immediate proposal through our Minister at Christiania concurrently with British whose consent after hearing from you we will attempt to secure on basis our agreeing to supply Norway’s reasonable requirements on condition her supplying Central powers with bare minimum of fish. Sine qua non of such offer must be agreement by British on Norwegian tonnage based on first allowing Norway sufficient her necessary trades then equal division between England and America all remaining.1 Tonnage negotiations to be conducted here. Cable your and Taylor’s views. War Trade Board.
- For further discussion of this proposal, see “Cooperation of the United States with the Allied Powers in the Provision and Administration of Shipping,” Vol. I, pp. 598–651.↩