121.5765/3

The Chargé in Italy (Robbins) to the Secretary of State

No. 551

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of the Department’s Instruction No. 324 of July 10, 1925, with reference to the statement of the Italian Government to the effect that it cannot afford diplomatic status to Customs Attachés because the recognition of such status would require the Italian Government to grant to the officials in question authorization to perform duties in Italy which Italian laws do not require of Italian officials.

I note that the Department interprets this Note as meaning that the diplomatic status for these officials is refused, and not that they are in future prohibited from performing in Italy their duties under the Tariff Act of 1922, and, furthermore, that the Department desires me to make informal inquiries on this subject.

A member of the Embassy, therefore, called at the Foreign Office and was informed by the Chief of the section interested in this matter that the Customs Officials referred to would not be prohibited from carrying out their duties any more than they had been in the past. Attention was called, however, as in the Note, to the fact that neither the officials of a foreign government nor even of the Italian Government were permitted by law to inspect business concerns providing such concerns were in good standing, and that, therefore, any inspections made by the Customs Attachés would depend upon the acquiescence of the owners of the factories and business concerns.

It, therefore, appears that the usefulness of the Customs Attachés in Italy will depend entirely on the tact and ability they may use in securing permission to make their inspections.

I have [etc.]

Warren D. Robbins