Office of the Historian

File No. 763.72112/10204b

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain ( Page)3

[Telegram]
Washington, July 2, 1918, 11.22 p.m.

2. For Sheldon [from War Trade Board]:

754. Agreement reached between England, France and United States to issue all enemy trading licenses with certain exceptions only after cases have been submitted to conference of representatives of Governments mentioned above and recommendation of such conference made. Plan effective July 1. For cases involving trading with listed or other enemy persons in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Holland, conference to sit in London. You will cooperate with designated representatives of France and England in such conference. Plan of procedure between War Trade Board and yourself will be as follows: Where deemed advisable by War Trade Board to grant license in case which must under agreement be presented to conference and which involves trading with a listed or other enemy person in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, or Holland, circumstances of case and recommendation of War Trade Board with reasons, together with War Trade Board reference number for the particular case, will be cabled to you. You will present case to conference with War Trade Board recommendation and reasons. Upon conference [Page 1031] approving or disapproving War Trade Board recommendation, you will cable action of conference to War Trade Board, marking such cable for Bureau of Enemy Trade, identifying particular case by résumé of facts and War Trade Board reference number. All cables from War Trade Board will be confirmed by despatch. You will also confirm all cables to War Trade Board by despatch. Italy will probably participate in the near future. Despatch containing full text of War Trade Board resolution on subject in question, and giving complete instructions, follows.

Lansing
  1. The same, on the same date, to the Ambassador in France (No. 4872) for McFadden (No. 163), with substitution of “Switzerland, Spain, and Morocco” for “Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Holland,” and of “conference to sit in Paris” for “conference to sit in London.” (File No. 763.72112/9724a.)↩