Office of the Historian

File No. 600.001/157

The Ambassador in France ( Sharp) to the Secretary of State

[Telegram]
Paris, September 21, 1917, 6 p.m.
[Received September 22, 3.45 a.m.]

2523. My 2382, August 10, 6 p.m.1 Foreign Office notifies me that the Swiss Legation at Paris renounced in the name of its Government the silk agreement of August 9 because the Allied Governments had not approved the arrangement signed by their delegates on September 4 which was reached in conformity with article 3 of the agreement of August 9.2 The agreement of September 4 was contained in my despatch No. 5664 of September 8,1 but on account of no steamer having sailed from Bordeaux for three weeks there has been no opportunity to forward it; it will be sent in pouch leaving to-night. Foreign Office note, which is being forwarded by pouch, states that I will be notified eventually of the attitude which the Government of the Republic will adopt in replying to subject.

In conversation with Foreign Office the belief was expressed that this renunciation was made by the Swiss Government to secure early approval of signatory Governments to the arrangements of September 4 and that Swiss Government would accept agreement when informed that approval had been given.

Sharp
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. The agreement of Sept. 4, not printed, is essentially the same as that of Aug. 9 except that the Swiss ration is increased. The final article of the agreement of Sept. 4 provides: “The present agreement is to be substituted for that of the 9th August 1917 and will go into force as soon as approved by the interested Governments.” (File No. 600.001/166.)↩
  3. Not printed.↩