File No. 763.72112Sa/l
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Norway ( Schmedeman)
374. Legation 756, May 24, 8 p.m., 789, June 7, 8 p.m., and 792, June 8, 7 p.m.1 Recent modifications of German prize regulations relating to safe conducts indicate an assumption to control neutral shipping throughout the world. As a condition precedent to the issuance of safe conducts, the German Government is requiring from some neutrals and appears likely to require from others full information regarding cargoes, passengers, and crews, and is assuming to regulate course of voyage and nature and destination of cargo. Ships not having safe conducts are liable to be sunk. After showing this cable to Dye and discussing it with him, please cable the Department, for War Trade Board, any further information you may have or hereafter receive on this subject, or on the attitude of the Norwegian Government, towards the general problem of the control of neutral shipping raised by this new German policy, and its views as to whether, and, if so, how, we can assist neutrals to resist such German control, but refrain as much as possible from discussing the matters set forth in this cable with the Norwegian Government. A similar cable has been sent to representatives of this Government in other European neutral countries and to its representatives at Paris and London.
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