890g.6363 T 84/239: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain ( Houghton )
20. Embassy’s despatch No. 715 dated January 19,10 and telegrams 15 dated January 27, 1 p.m. and 17 dated January 28, 2 p.m. have been most helpful to the Department. Do you perceive any objection to presenting the general subject matter of this question informally to the American Group? Please telegraph.
Although the Department appreciates the point of view set forth in your telegrams, you will understand, of course, that this question has its international side. Should technical legal difficulties which [Page 368] involve the interests of British nationals be raised to defeat the prospect of a reasonable share of American participation in this enterprise and to augment the share of British participation, the Department deems itself justified in emphasizing the international side of the question and would not be prevented from doing so because of agreements reached by various British petroleum interests with which it is in no way concerned. It seems to the Department that if British nationals should attempt to avail themselves of the legal technicalities involved in the pre-war organization of the Turkish Petroleum Company—which at that time had received no concession—for the purpose of preventing American participation on a fair basis in this enterprise, it would have grounds for representations.
- Not printed.↩