800.51 W 89 Lithuania/15
The Minister in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania (Coleman) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 5.]
Sir: With reference to the Department’s telegram No. 81, of August 7th 7:00 p.m. instructing me to ascertain from the Lithuanian Government whether payments have been made or are being made to the Government of Great Britain on obligations similar to those held by the United States Government; and my confidential despatch No. 1275 of September 15, 1923, reporting that the Lithuanian Government plans to send Dr. Narushkevich to Washington to discuss the settlement of the debt question; I have the honor to transmit herewith a copy of a note6 which I have received from the Lithuanian Foreign Office, stating that the Lithuanian Government is paying interest on certain obligations held by the British Government; but that these obligations are not considered as being of the same nature as those held by the American Government, and that the payment of interest to Great Britain does not tend to show any discrimination against the United States.
The reasoning which leads the Lithuanian Government to this conclusion is by no means clear; however, Mr. Galvanauskas7 states that the Lithuanian Government is anxious to meet its obligations in the most effective way, and to this end will send to the United States in the near future a representative to negotiate a definite settlement of this question.
I have [etc.]