892.6363/14
The Chargé in Siam (Williams) to the Secretary of State
[Extract]
Bangkok, December 1,
1921.
[Received January 25, 1922.]
No. 198[Received January 25, 1922.]
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of the Department’s telegraphic instruction No. 16, of November 22, 5:00 p.m., relative to the maintenance in Siam of equality of opportunity for American citizens, and to report that representations were made to the Foreign Office, upon the thirtieth ultimo, of the general character specified therein.
- 2.
- I did not fail to confirm the assertions made in Mr. Hunt’s despatch No. 149, of September thirtieth, prior to the initiation of formal conversation with the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the connection. The Department will recall that Mr. Seymour, in his official capacity as British Minister, was stated to have stressed the importance of the predominance of British interests here in the determination of the petroleum policy of the Siamese Government. The Legation ascertained definitely, subsequently to the Department’s telegram, that such action had indeed been taken. It was moreover established that the British representations, above referred to, had been committed to writing.
- 3.
- The Legation reported in the despatch No. 196, of November 30, 1921,11 that Mr. Wallace Lee had undertaken the performance of duties as Geological Adviser to the Siamese Government, without change in his status of independent responsibility to the Commissioner-General of Railways. It did not therefore appear that the British protests, mentioned specifically in my despatch No. 168, of October 29, 1921,11 had been altogether successful. Moreover, Prince Purachatra seemed desirous that Mr. Lee should proceed without delay to the region of oil see pages, thus avoiding possibility of immediate complications in the work of investigation. I considered it advisable, accordingly, that the subject of the employment of this petroleum expert should not at present be raised in Foreign Office discussion, nor until there had been direct diplomatic interference with his function as Siamese official.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I have [etc.]
Curtis Williams