File No. 656.119/763
The Netherland Chargé ( De Beaufort) to the Secretary of State
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of August 21, 1918,1 concerning certain ships which my Government desires to use in transporting grain cereals to the Netherlands. I have not failed to acquaint my Government with the contents of this note and have now received instructions enabling me to give the following reply:
The Minister for Foreign Affairs at The Hague has been informed by the American Minister there that he cabled a very complete [Page 1530] statement to your Department relative to the reply Jonkheer Loudon gave on May 27 last to a member of Parliament and in which he communicated the protest of Her Majesty’s Government against the modification of article 55 of the German prize regulation.1 If nevertheless you desire to obtain for submission to the President the exact text of the reply in question, my Government will enable me to forward it to you.
Jonkheer Loudon observed to the American Minister—and wishes me to call the same point to your attention—that in Holland the most efficient method to obtain publicity is to reply in writing to a written question of a member of Parliament. These are not ordinary questions and replies which may escape public attention. To the contrary these questions and replies are always prominently published by the newspapers and this was also done in regard to the question and reply concerning the protest mentioned above. The people of the Netherlands was consequently placed in a position to reach an unprejudiced conclusion and the Minister for Foreign Affairs is convinced that it has indeed reached such conclusion in the sense indicated by the President although not much comment has been made by the Dutch press.
My Government is confident that the above will furnish the President with the further information he desires and that no more impediment stands in the way of a favorable decision.
Please accept [etc.]