763.72113 Mills Bill/69
The Secretary of State to the Austrian Minister (Prochnik)
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of June 8, 1926, stating that you have been instructed by your Government to negotiate with the appropriate branch of the Government of the United States with respect to the release of Austrian property held by the Alien Property Custodian and the substitution therefor of other security for the payment of the awards of the Tripartite Claims Commission.
I have transmitted a copy of your note under’ acknowledgment to the Secretary of the Treasury, stating that I have suggested to you that you communicate with him with a view to the initiation of direct [Page 138] discussion of this question between yourself and such representatives of the Treasury Department as he may care to designate.32 You, of course, realize that under existing law no disposition can be made of the Austrian property held by the Alien Property Custodian without specific legislation by the Congress, but as that body would undoubtedly refer any plan of the nature suggested by you to the Treasury Department for examination, it seems appropriate to have the matter considered in the first instance by that Department.
Accept [etc.]
- On June 29, 1926, the Austrian Minister informed the Department that he had conferred with the Under Secretary of the Treasury (file No. 763.72113 Mills Bill/73).↩