883.00/218
The Secretary of State to Senator Owen
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of November 29th last, in which you inquire as to the effect of this Government’s recognition of the so-called protectorate proclaimed by Great Britain over Egypt on December 18, 1914.
In reply I beg to state that the Department does not understand that Egypt was, prior to the British proclamation of December 18, 1914, in possession of full independent sovereign rights.
The effect of this Government’s qualified recognition of April, 1919, was to acknowledge with the reservation set forth at that time only such control of Egyptian affairs as had been set forth in the notice of the British Government transmitted to the Department on December 18, 1914, a copy of which is enclosed.8
It is assumed that it is the purpose of Great Britain to carry out the assurances given by King George the Fifth of England to the late Sultan of Egypt, as published in the London Times of December 21, 1914.
I have [etc.]