File No. 711.0021/129b

The Secretary of State to the Minister in the Netherlands ( Garrett)

No. 323

Sir: Referring to the Department’s instruction of even date directing you to transmit to the Netherlands Government a communication giving notice of the abrogation of the treaty concluded by the Government of the United States and the Government of the Netherlands on January 19, 1839, the Department further instructs you to address at the same time a note to the Minister for Foreign Affairs with regard to the treaty of May 23, 1878, in the sense of the following:

Under instructions from my Government, I have the honor to give to the Netherlands Government, on behalf of the Government of the United States, the official notification contemplated by Article 16 of the treaty concluded between the Government of the United States and the Government of the Netherlands on May 23, 1878, whereby the operation of the treaty will terminate in accordance with its terms on ———.

In this relation, I beg to refer to my note of to-day’s date giving notice of the abrogation of the treaty concluded by the two Governments oil January 19, 1839, in which are indicated [Page 5] the reasons which make it necessary for my Government to give notice of the abrogation of treaties concluded by it with the Netherlands Government which contain stipulations affected by the so-called Seamen’s Act, approved March 4, 1915.

In inserting in your communication to the Foreign Office a date for the termination of the treaty, you will observe that by its Article 16 the treaty provides that it shall remain binding for one year following notice of denunciation.

I am [etc.]

Robert Lansing