File No. 763.72113/793
The Swiss Minister (
Sulzer) to the
Secretary of State
Department of German
Interests XXV–9
The Minister of Switzerland, representing German interests in the United
States, presents his compliments to the Secretary of State and,
referring to the Legation’s memorandum dated October 18, 1918,1 regarding a protest of
the German Government against the treatment accorded German property in
the Philippines, now has the honor to transmit to His Excellency a
carbon copy of the note verbale upon which the
Legation’s memorandum of October 18, 1918, was based.
Washington
, November 27, 1918.
[Received November 29.]
[Enclosure—Translation]
The German Foreign
Office to the Swiss Legation at
Berlin
No. IIIa–16302/149947
Note Verbale
The Foreign Office has the honor to express to the Swiss Legation its
best thanks for the despatch of May 14 of this year, from the Swiss
Consul at Manila, about the liquidation of German concerns in the
Philippines communicated in the Legation’s note
verbale No. A–I–3/26764 of the 3d of last month.
It appears from the Swiss Consul’s despatch that the American
Government as early as the spring of this year set about disposing
of German concerns in the Philippines by means of forced sales. No
military or state necessity calls for that sacrifice of German
property. It can have but one object: wholly to drive out of the
Philippines the German commerce to make it impossible for it to
resume its relations after the war, and to work as lasting an injury
as possible to the economic life of Germany even in peace-time.
[Page 318]
The American proceeding conflicts not only with the general
principles of modern international law, but also with the treaties
of 1799 and 1828 in force between the German Empire and the United
States, which aim to protect the property of peaceable citizens even
in the event of a war and spare them its burdens as far as
possible.
The German Government, therefore, enters the most emphatic protest
against the treatment which the American Government has accorded to
private German property in the Philippines and holds it wholly
responsible for all damages resulting therefrom.
The Foreign Office would be thankful to the Swiss Legation if it
would kindly make the foregoing known to its Government and ask it
to telegraph the protest to the Government at Washington through the
Swiss Legation there.
Berlin, September 30, 1918.
