File No. 656.119/299
The Commercial Adviser of the British Embassy
(
Crawford) to
the Counselor for the Department of State (
Polk)
Washington,
March 21, 1918.
Dear Mr. Polk:
With reference to our conversation of yesterday, I now enclose text
of the communication which is to be addressed to the Netherlands
Government in connection with the requisitioning of Dutch tonnage. I
have sent a copy to Mr. McCormick.
Yours sincerely,
[Enclosure]
Communication to be made by the British
Minister in the Netherlands (
Townley) to the Netherland Minister of Foreign Affairs
(
Loudon)1
- 1.
- After full consideration, the Associated Governments have
decided to requisition services of Dutch ships in their
ports in exercise of right of angary. They would have
preferred to obtain use of
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ships by way of agreement with the
Netherlands Government and, as Your Excellency knows, an
arrangement for this purpose was made between
representatives of the Netherlands Government and of the
Associated Governments as long ago as beginning of last
January.
- 2.
- Unfortunately the Netherlands Government for more than two
months did not see their way to ratify that arrangement.
They moreover had found it impossible to carry out in all
its terms modus vivendi which had
been arrived at pending a ratification of agreement,
explaining that the German Government would not allow them
to do so. It seemed therefore clear to the Associated
Governments that proposals originally made were not adequate
to present situation. Delay had altered circumstances.
Condition that Dutch shipping was not to be used in danger
zone was no longer acceptable in itself and might at any
time have been made still less so by an extension of zone by
our enemies. Further, fate of modus
vivendi had shewn that in very difficult position
in which Netherlands Government were placed execution of
agreement would probably have been attended with
difficulties and delays still more prejudicial to interest
of Associated Governments.
- 3.
- The Associated Governments therefore proposed that
limitation on use of Dutch shipping contemplated under the
original scheme should be abandoned, and that in its altered
form, agreement should come into force immediately. To this
the Netherlands Government could not assent except upon
terms which would have made it practically impossible for
the Associated Governments to make any use of Dutch
shipping. To say that shipping shall not be employed for
carriage of war material is at this stage of war equivalent
to saying that it shall not be used at all. For with regard
to great majority of cargoes it is impossible to say that
they are not required directly or Indirectly for purposes of
war.
- 4.
- For these reasons Associated Governments have felt
compelled to fall back on their unquestionable right to
employ any shipping found in their ports for necessities of
war. But they are very anxious that exercise of this right
should be as little burdensome to shipowners and as little
obnoxious to Netherlands Government as it can be
made.
- 5.
- Associated Governments hope that it may be possible to
arrive at an agreement with owners as to rates of pay,
values for insurance, etc., and on these points a further
communication to the Netherlands Government will be sent
very shortly. At the end of the war the ships will be
returned to their owners who will of course be compensated
for any losses caused amongst ships by enemy action.
Associated Governments are willing further to offer owners,
on conditions to be mutually agreed upon, an option to have
any ship which
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may be so lost in the danger zone as it exists at present,
actually replaced by another ship within shortest possible
period after the conclusion of peace. I need hardly assure
Your Excellency that all facilities in power of Associated
Governments will be given for repatriation of crews if
desired and that all precautions will be taken to ensure
that they be treated with every courtesy and
consideration.
- 6.
- Further, the Associated Governments hereby give the
Netherlands Government an undertaking that Dutch ships which
may leave a Dutch port after the date of this communication
shall not be brought into Allied services otherwise than in
agreement with owners.
- 7.
- Associated Governments having been informed that unless
the stocks of grain now in the Netherlands be replenished in
time, Holland is threatened with a serious shortage during
third quarter of this year, will at once place at her
disposal 50,000 tons of wheat (or an equivalent quantity of
flour) in a North American port and 50,000 tons in a South
American port. It is hoped that the Netherlands Government
will immediately send out such part of tonnage remaining in
Holland as may be necessary to lift this grain. The
Associated Governments guarantee that as far as it is in
their power these ships shall enjoy immunity from delay and
detention and receive every facility for bunkering.
- 8.
- The United States Government have already intimated that
the steamship Nieuw Amsterdam at
present in New York will not be utilised by them and will
under the special arrangement covering it be allowed not
only to return at once to Holland but to load a cargo of
foodstuffs consisting of rice and coffee. This cargo will be
composed of original cargoes of steamship Samarinda and steamship Adonis which would have been allowed to proceed to
Holland if modus vivendi already
referred to had come into force.
- 9.
- As regards further supplies of cereals, foodstuffs, raw
materials and all other articles importation of which is
provided for in proposals for general arrangement,
Associated Governments are willing to give Dutch vessels now
in Dutch ports every facility for their importation into
Holland in accordance with provisions and terms of general
agreement, if Netherlands Government are ready (as
Associated Governments hope they are) to signify their
acceptance of its terms generally.
- 10.
- Associated Governments believe that Dutch ships now in
their ports do not fully correspond to tonnage to whose
services they had hoped to become entitled under terms
proposed of general arrangement and that vessels now in or
on their way to Dutch ports will be found to exceed tonnage
needed for imports of Netherlands and their colonies
calculated on basis of original tonnage proposals
provisionally
[Page 1423]
agreed by Dutch delegates. If contrary to this expectation
it should be proved to satisfaction of Associated
Governments that this is not the case, latter will be ready
to make up any deficiency of tonnage left at Holland’s
disposal on lines of various provisions of general
arrangement covering use and distribution of Dutch tonnage,
as soon as Netherlands Government shall have supplied Allied
Governments with definite figures of tonnage now in or on
the way to Dutch ports.
