File No. 763.72112/3864
The French Ambassador ( Jusserand) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 23.]
Mr. Secretary of State: As I had the honor orally to state at your Department, the régime established in Switzerland with a view to preventing supplies from reaching the enemy through that country has, all in all, yielded important results. These were brought about in particular by the undertakings subscribed to by Switzerland which restrict her liberty to export to the Central Empires: Among these are the convention relative to the Swiss Society of Surveillance for imported products, the fixed quota of imports taking into account the national production and the recent arrangement relative to agricultural products.
It seems, however, in the opinion of my Government that these measures could be, with advantage, made more effective if the Government of the United States would join us in asking Switzerland to confirm in a final manner the revocable undertakings it has already entered into in the matter of letting no merchandise similar to that imported through the S.S.S. be reexported to the countries at war with the Allies. This would merely be asking Switzerland to confirm a state of affairs already accepted in regard to that class of products.
On the other hand, certain exports against which the Entente has all along protested, such as that of sausage made of Swiss pork, fats of Swiss origin, might be stopped by new regulations without, as it seems, involving any perceptibly awkward consequence to the Helvetic Confederation in its exchange policy with Germany.
I venture in compliance with instructions received to commend these suggestions to Your Excellency’s attention and should be much obliged to you if you would let me know whether you have, as my Government hopes, found it possible to take them into consideration.
Be pleased to accept [etc.]