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File No. 656.119/124a

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

[Telegram]
Washington , January 5, 1918, 4 p.m.

6171. Following for Sheldon from War Trade Board:

[1.]
Dutch negotiations. Answering your cable January 2, regret cannot accept basis one round trip but we will modify our proposal [Page 1383] of December 291 to the basis of about three months’ charter on all tonnage in the United States mentioned therein. It is understood that these vessels will be operated outside of the present submarine zone and that part of the vessels will be used in West India trade, the part to be used for Belgian Relief to be determined by United States, it being understood that when a ship leaves the United States for Holland in the service of the Belgian Relief Committee, ship or ships of corresponding carrying capacity will depart from Holland to the United States. It must be understood that all vessels are to be chartered to the United States Shipping Board.
2.
Sorry we cannot agree to this condition until permanent understanding is reached.
3.
When the negotiations of the whole with Holland have been completed we shall then be ready to make definite arrangements regarding eight ships mentioned.

Lansing
  1. See telegram No. 6142, Dee. 29, 1917, to the Ambassador in Great Britain, Foreign Relations, 1917, Supplement 2, vol. II, p. 1158.↩