362.115 St 21/60: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Commission to Negotiate Peace

3151. Referring to question of sailing of D.A.P.G. tank steamer[s] from Hamburg to New York, Navy Department, September 4, cabled its representative to direct Admiral McCully, representing United [Page 545] States on Interallied Armistice Commission, to make every possible endeavor to obtain permission for ship[s] to sail. Navy, September 11, received following reply:

“Admiral McCully reports that twelve German oil tankers manned by German crews were provisionally exempted from delivery by allied maritime transport council in Brussels, according to agreement of March 14th, 1919, but cancelled by President Allied Naval Armistice Commission August 15th, 1919 and the vessels ordered to proceed at once to Firth of Forth for delivery to Allied and Associated governments. On information requested at that place the vessels will be allocated to France, Great Britain, Italy and the United States by the Allied Maritime Transport Executive which refuses to authorize these vessels to proceed on commercial voyage until after such allocation and until manned by crews of Allied and Associated Governments. The first allocation is to be made to the French Government. Question of ownership of these vessels has not been brought up but the British consider them as German owned. None of these vessels has yet been delivered at the Firth of Forth, Scotland. The Supreme Economic Council in Paris is now only authority capable of reversing the action already taken.”

Clause in Brussels Agreement March 14 reads: “2. The German delegates further raised the question of exemption of tank vessels. They were informed that for the time being the Associated Governments would not insist upon the delivery of any tank steamers.” Department is not informed on what authority President Allied Naval Armistice Commission on August 15 assumed to cancel this exemption, or on what authority Allied Maritime Transport executive refuses to authorize commercial voyages of ships not allocated or assumes to make further allocations, and is of opinion that no such authority existed.

Please confer with Embassy as to instructions in Department’s August 13, 5 p.m., and endeavor to bring about immediate despatch of D.A.P.G. steamers to United States for transportation of petroleum supplies to German market where such supplies are urgently needed.

Phillips