853.51/308: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Portugal ( Dearing )
1. Your despatches 1272, December 2; 1278, December 7; 1280, December 9; and 1283, December 12, 1925.13 You may inform the Portuguese Government that this Government out of consideration for the state of affairs consequent to the recent change of government in Portugal has refrained from pressing for an immediate and unequivocal reply to its representations regarding the Tobacco Bonds. However, this Government has no intention of permitting its forbearance in this respect to be construed as indicating any change in its attitude, which continues to be that expressed in the Department’s instruction of August 31, 1925.
The issuance of Decree No. 11289 of November 28 encouraged this Government to hope that prompt effect would be given to its provisions, and this hope was strengthened by the inquiry of the Foreign Minister, as reported in your 45, December 11, midnight.
However, this Government now feels that sufficient time has elapsed for the new Portuguese Government to have taken appropriate measures to meet the just claims of American holders of the Tobacco Bonds.
If, therefore, no satisfactory reply to your representations is received at an early date after you have communicated the contents of this telegram to the Portuguese Government, you are instructed to present your note of September 21 to the Portuguese Government in its original unaltered form.14 This Government regrets that its action should have to take this form but in view of the unsatisfactory attitude of the Portuguese Government it is unable to perceive that any other course is open to it.
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