Office of the Historian

File No. 656.119/407

The Minister in the Netherlands ( Garrett) to the Secretary of State

[Telegram]
The Hague, May 3, 1918, 7 p.m.
[Received May 4, 9.41 a.m.]

2452. My 2426, April 29, 5 p.m. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has just told me that the negotiations with Germany seem nearly to have reached an agreement in the sense of the statement sent you in the above telegram, that is to say:

1. (a)
Germany has agreed to the limit of 1,600,000 tons per annum and will give an undertaking that this will not be used for military purposes.
(b) 250,000 tons per month is recognized as a maximum that will probably never be reached. As to the exchange for coal and iron that does not seem to enter in at the moment.
2.
Agreed to as to the ships at Antwerp.
3.
Agreed to except that there is not yet an understanding as to what constitutes military “arms”.
4.
Agreed to.

Loudon professes to believe that the final agreement will be reached.

Garrett