File No. 659.119/284a
The Secretary of State to the Danish Minister ( Brun)
Note Verbale
The Secretary of State of the United States has taken careful note of the statement of the Minister of Denmark made to him on [Page 1327] March 18, 1918, relative to the possibility that the Government of the United States might contemplate the requisitioning of Danish ships now in American ports.
The Minister of Denmark stated, among other things, that the situation in respect of Danish shipping differs from that which has existed in respect of Netherlands shipping in that Danish tonnage has during the war been kept in active service navigating even the so-called “danger zones” and that the Government of Denmark has but recently approved of an offer by Danish shipowners that a certain amount of Danish tonnage be chartered to the United States for use in the so-called “danger zones,” and that the Danish Government ventures to hope that the Government of the United States will not prejudice the situation of Denmark by taking the same measures in their case as in the case of Holland.
The Secretary of State is pleased to be able to assure the Minister of Denmark that the Government of the United States has no present intention of securing the service of Danish ships in American ports by taking the same measures as were employed in respect to Dutch ships on account of military emergency.