File No. 658.119/208
The Ambassador in Great Britain ( Page ) to the Secretary of State
[Telegram]
London
,
February 13, 1918, 10 a.m.
[Received February 14, 5.30 a.m.]
[Received February 14, 5.30 a.m.]
8638. War Trade Board [from Sheldon]:
No. 154. As a result of protracted negotiations with Swedish delegates, the following really represent what the British and French are in general prepared to grant in tons:
| Bread cereals, until October 1 (Plus 50,000 oats.) |
205,000 |
| Fodder, maize and oil cake for importation between
signing agreement and August 1919 (Subject to prohibition of export of all cattle, meat and dairy produce forthwith for the duration of the agreement and a satisfactory limitation of the export of horses.) |
300,000 |
| Cocoa and preparations | 1,500 |
| Coffee, from Europe so long as can be supplied | 25,000 |
| Tea | 240 |
| Spirits, only brandy and whiskey | 1,500 |
| Wines | 2,000 |
| Fresh fruit, exclusively of any imported from Holland | 2,500 |
| Dried fruit | 5,000 |
| Nuts and kernels | 750 |
| Spices, including 400 pepper and pimento (Any excess up to a total of 800 taken from Holland.) |
500 |
| Oils and fats (Exports of oils and glycerin to be prohibited.) |
|
| Linseed (Or linseed oil, 6,000) |
20,000 |
| Other technical oils | 12,000 |
| Other oil seeds | 800 |
| Edible oils and fats | 10,000 |
| Mineral oils— | |
| Lubricants (no export of any sort of lubricant) | 15,000 |
| Petrol | 10,000 |
| Petroleum (subject to prohibition of export of carbide) | 90,000 |
| Fuel oil | 18,000 |
| Soap | 250 |
| Camphor | 10 |
| Gums (Plus 125 tons which they can take from Holland, and if not from Holland, the matter will be considered.) |
125 |
| Raw rubber | 500 |
| Rubber tires | 250 |
| Other rubber manufactured goods (Prohibition of export of scrap rubber except to Denmark for regeneration and return of a limited quantity to be agreed.) |
400 |
| Paraffin wax (Exclusive of 900 which has been let out of the prize court.) |
2,000 |
| Other waxes | 40 |
| Coir yarn | 100 |
| Varnishes— | |
| Spirit varnish | 10 |
| Oil varnish | 80 |
| Other varnishes | 360 |
| Binder twine and sisal fiber according to the estimated harvests, say | 2,000 |
| Textiles— | |
| Cotton and cotton manufactures | 18,000 |
| Hemp, excluding sisal | 3,000 |
| Jute | 5,000 |
| Silk, other than raw or waste, including mixed silk tissues | 250 |
| Wool | 5,000 |
| Woolen manufactures | 1,200 |
| Corkwood | 2,000 |
| Fibers for brush making | 500 |
| Tanning materials, hides and leather: (Subject to prohibition of hides, leather or the [products] thereof, and tanning materials.) |
|
| [Tanning materials] (30% tanning content.) |
8,000 |
| Hides and leather, etc., proportion to be arranged | 7,200 |
| Tobacco | 4,500 |
| Alloys, white metals | 400 |
| Antimony | 50 |
| Copper and copper alloys (Subject to complete prohibition, except small quantities in machinery not exceeding 5% of the value of the manufactured article.) |
7,000 |
| Ferro-alloys and steel-hardening agents: (Rations to include articles licensed by British Ministry of Munitions.) |
|
| Ferro-manganese | 4,000 |
| Ferro-chrome | 500 |
| Ferro-tungsten | 30 |
| Ferro-vanadium (Above four subject to complete prohibition, except to Allies, of all ferro-alloys and steel-hardening agents and steel containing same, except steel containing less than 1% manganese.) |
5 |
| Lead | 2,000 |
| Tin | 500 |
| Asbestoes and asbestos waste (But no export of mica or the products thereof to enemy countries.) |
400 |
| Borax and boracic acid | 400 |
| Citrate [citric] and tartaric acid | 100 |
| Saltpeter from overseas (Plus 10,000 from Norway.) |
25,000 |
| Raw phosphates | 80,000 |
| Graphite (Plus graphite crucibles, 200; no products manufactured from imported crucibles [to be] exported to enemy countries.) |
400 |
| Phosphorus— | |
| Pure phosphorus | 100 |
| Sesquisulphide | 50 |
| Sugar and syrup | 8,000 |
| Rosin (But no export of rosin, including Swedish rosin, or turpentine oil or other derivatives thereof except to the Allies.) |
4,000 |
| Aluminum | 300 |
| Nickel silver | 75 |
| Anodes | 9 |
| Nickel sulphate | 112 |
| Nickel | 100 |
| Canned fruit and other canned provisions | 230 |
| Starch and sago | 250 |
| Anti-fouling composition | 300 |
| Bamboos, rattans and canes | 100 |
| Grass seed, if from Russia or Holland | 600 |
| Clover seed, if from Russia or Holland | 400 |
| Antimony sulphide | 50 |
| Rice | 12,000 |
- Note 1. The Allied Wheat Executive to give their services for the purchase of grain.
- Note 2. In consideration of textile rations, export of pulp sulphate to enemy countries to be limited to 67,000 tons, which is the last three years’ average; pulp [bisulphite] limited [to] 60,000 tons, which is the last three years’ average; and pulp paper, spinning paper and paper yarn to be limited to 25,000 tons (in 1917 it was 59,000 tons); all other pulp derivatives prohibited to [enemy] countries.
- Note 3. No pyrites to be exported.
- Note 4. Rations will commence from January 1 last and shall include all articles imported under modus vivendi and Christmas gifts released for use in Sweden since that date.
- Note 5. Any articles imported from Russia or Finland will count as half ration. The object of this is to induce the Swedes to seek production in these countries in competition with Germany and to reduce the tonnage required to lift the rations.
- Note 6.1 Iron ore. Sweden agrees to limit exports of iron ore to Germany to 3,000,000 tons, which is represented as being nearly 2,000,000 tons less than in 1917, the Allies to purchase 2,500,000 tons to be paid for either by loan or after the war or by cash deposited in Great Britain to remain here until some period after the war, the Allies also to have the option of purchasing further 500,000 tons on the same terms and conditions as 2,500,000 tons. Total export from Sweden to be limited to 5,500,000 tons if Allies do not exercise option or to 6,000,000 tons if they do. The export of low phosphorous ores to Germany to be reduced to 30/55 of the total export of these ores during 1917, which exports of low phosphorous ores, it is understood, amounted to about 1,400,000 tons. It is proposed that the iron ore should be purchased one [third] each by the British, French and the United States Governments, the purchases pooled and any subsequent sales to the Allies or otherwise to be for the [trio] account, and French and British are willing to advance their share of the total which is expected to be under £6,000,000. I am informed that the Ministry of Munitions are of the opinion that, owing to shortage of ore after the war there is very little probability of the eventual loss being large on this transaction.
I will not go into the explanation or the reasons for all the various rations unless any particular ones seem unreasonable to you and I should like to have you cable me your views at the earliest possible moment. The terms of the tonnage agreement in connection with the general agreement were forwarded some time ago by post and should be obtained from the British Embassy immediately. It would seem that on the above terms it would be possible to conclude [Page 1210] an agreement in the near future with Sweden, and the French and British are very desirous of making an agreement on these terms.
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- This note and the last paragraph were badly jumbled and have been rearranged to show proper relationship.↩