Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1919, Volume I

693.119/421: Telegram

Washington, April 14, 1919, 6 p.m.

Your April 10, 3 p.m.

You are authorized to give adherence to the declaration against the import of arms and ammunition, with the following understanding:

1.: In January, 1919, Andersen, Meyer and Company were granted a license to export 5,000,000 cartridges to China. See Department’s instruction number 922 of January 14, 1919.93 A part of this order was shipped in February and has probably already been delivered. The remainder, 1,600,000 cartridges, was shipped April 5 and is therefore now en route to China and beyond the control of this Government.
2.: Presumably the declaration will not operate against the shipment of sporting arms and ammunition in small amounts, not exceeding approximately $1,000 in value. This Government will continue to grant licenses for small amounts of such arms and ammunition as it is understood that this traffic will not affect the military situation in China in any way.
3.: The Department hopes that you and your British, French, Japanese and Italian colleagues will be able to make the agreement effective by persuading the representatives of other countries of the necessity of such action for the general welfare and by dissuading the Chinese authorities from attempting to secure arms and ammunition for military purposes from any other sources.

Polk