711.428/494
The Acting Secretary of State to the British Chargé (Barclay)
Memorandum
The Acting Secretary of State of the United States has the honor to acknowledge the memorandum of His Britannic Majesty’s Chargé d’Affaires, and in reply thereto to say that the Governor General of Canada and His Majesty’s Ministers would seem to be misinformed as to the extent to which the recommendations of the American-Canadian Fisheries Conference, relating especially to the draft treaty and regulations concerning the sockeye salmon fishery, have been communicated to the Legislature of the State of Washington. The text of the treaty recommended by the conference has not been made public, but at the suggestion of the American members of the conference, who stated that the officials of the State of Washington desired during the present session of its Legislature to make any changes in the local statute which might be necessary to assist in carrying out the purposes of the proposed treaty, a copy of that portion of the conference report relating to the sockeye salmon fishery,3 together with a copy of the proposed regulations recommended by the conference was forwarded by the American members of the conference to the Governor of Washington. It is doubtless this action which has given rise to the report received through the Governor General of Canada that the treaty and regulations had been submitted to the Legislature of the State of Washington.
The Government of the United States sees no objection, but on the contrary considerable advantage, in making known to those engaged in the fishing industry the provisions of the proposed regulations, and accordingly would be glad to arrange with His Majesty’s Government for the publication of these regulations. The Government of the United States suggests, however, that the representatives of both Governments should agree upon the exact text of these regulations before they are made public, and is now prepared to discuss this matter informally with the representatives of His Majesty’s Government at any time.
With regard to the publication of the terms of the draft treaty, the substance of which His Majesty’s Government suggests should be made public at the same time as the regulations, the Government of the United States expresses the view that it would be preferable to restrict such publication of the terms of the proposed treaty to a [Page 221] very summary statement of the substance in view of the fact that the text has not as yet been agreed upon by both governments.