124.50a/4

The Chargé in the Netherlands (Sussdorff) to the Secretary of State

No. 1148

Sir: I have the honor to report that, in spite of the fact that the Government of Luxemburg has expressed the earnest desire that the United States Government should continue to accredit the American Minister at the Netherlands in a similar capacity to the Grand Duchy, I am of the opinion that the combination of these two missions has ceased to serve the best interests of the United States Government.

The economic agreement between Belgium and Luxemburg, which became effective a few months ago, has brought these two countries into a closer and closer economic relationship. With the exception of the United States, all of the countries which accredit diplomatic representatives to Luxemburg and do not maintain permanent diplomatic missions there have now found it desirable to transfer their representation in the Grand Duchy to their Embassies and Legations in Brussels. From the point of view of efficiency, there can be no doubt that a foreign representative in Brussels is in an infinitely better position to follow the situation in Luxemburg than a foreign representative in The Hague. Reports from American missions in Brussels and Luxemburg would be inter-related, whereas the American mission in the Netherlands is completely detached from the situation in the Grand Duchy. The question of distance is also an important one: it takes thirteen hours to make the journey from The Hague to Luxemburg, whereas Brussels and Luxemburg are only separated by a train journey of five hours.

The combination of the American missions in the Netherlands and Luxemburg is frequently a disadvantageous one because the American representative at The Hague is virtually obliged to abandon his more important duties there to make occasional visits of ceremony to the Grand Duchy. It is only by such visits that the Legation at The Hague is able to obtain any information regarding events in Luxemburg. …

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I am therefore of the opinion that it is desirable for the American representation in the Netherlands and Luxemburg to be separated. If the Department does not desire to accredit the American Ambassador at Brussels as Minister Plenipotentiary to the Grand Duchy, it occurs to me that a possible solution of the difficulty might be the establishment of the post of Minister Resident and Consul Genera] of the United States in Luxemburg. …

I have [etc.]

Louis Sussdorff, Jr.