881.00/1297
The Secretary of State to the Diplomatic Agent and Consul General at Tangier (Blake)
Sir: The Department has received your despatch No. 129, of August 17, 1926, forwarding a translation of the agreement between the Administration of the Zone of Tangier and the High Commissariat of the Spanish Sphere of Influence, relative to Customs duties levied under Article 20 of the Tangier Statute.18
Note has been taken of your suggestion that representations be made to the Spanish Government with a view to safeguarding American rights in case the Customs barrier should be re-established. However, the Department is of the opinion that as this Government is not signatory to the Statute, which it does not recognize, its rights in Morocco remain intact, and that its position in this matter has been made sufficiently clear to the Spanish Government to obviate the necessity of representations at this time. Furthermore, as the probability of the re-establishment of the barrier appears remote, it is not believed that any useful purpose could be served at this time by making representations such as you suggest.
Should, however, the agreement be denounced by either of the parties you should, of course, make appropriate representations to your Spanish colleague at Tangier and should notify both the Department and the American Embassy in Madrid in order that further steps may be taken to protect the treaty rights of this Government.
[Page 743]A copy of this instruction has been sent to the American Embassy in Madrid with instructions19 to take appropriate action upon being informed either by you or the Spanish Government of the abrogation of the agreement in question.
I am [etc.]