121.5760h/1
The Minister in the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Dodge) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 22.]
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt on May 7th last of your Instruction No. 563, File No. [121.5760h/–], dated April 21st last,60 informing me that Mr. James F. O’Neill, had been attached to this Legation, as well as to certain other Missions, as Customs Attaché and that Messrs. George R. Coxe, John P. Griebel and Lucien Picard had also similarly been attached, the first two as [Page 239] Assistant Customs Attachés and the last as Customs Clerk. According to your directions, I immediately addressed an official communication to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, advising him of these appointments and conveying to him the information regarding them which is contained in your Instruction. I also took advantage of a conversation soon thereafter with the Foreign Minister, Dr. Nintchitch, to draw his attention to my communication and to explain to him the duties of these Attachés. Dr. Nintchitch informed me that the matter would have his full attention.
Having had no reply to my communication, I availed of a recent conversation with Dr. Nintchitch again to invite his attention to this subject and he replied that he had not failed to give his consideration to my communication but that he had heard that a number of Governments had signified objection to the recognition of representatives of the American Customs as Customs Attachés and that accordingly his Government had decided to await until at least one or more of these Governments had decided to recognize these Attachés before finally deciding whether or not to recognize them itself. He then asked me for certain further explanations regarding their duties which I was able to furnish him from the information in your Instruction and in your Circular Instruction of April 2nd 1925. I then stated that I hoped that the reason for their desired recognition was clear to him and also the benefits which these Attachés would render to commercial exchanges between the United States and Yugoslavia. Dr. Nintchitch replied that these reasons were clear to him but that in view of the objections which he had heard had been raised by other Governments, he considered that his Government should not be the first to give recognition.
The attitude thus taken by the Yugoslav Government in this matter is one, as has already been reported in a number of other matters, which is often taken by it. Although it may not see anything objectionable in the recognition of these Attachés, it is as usual suspicious, realizing that it is not well versed in such matters, and it sees no reason why it should act before its great Allies have acted.
I shall continue to bring Dr. Nintchitch’s attention to this matter from time to time and I shall continue to do everything possible to accelerate his favorable decision. I beg to request that I may be informed of any favorable decisions of other Governments which would undoubtedly have a very favorable influence upon the decision of the Yugoslav Government.
I have [etc.]