195/912
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Herrick)
Sir: The French note of June 20, 1925,52 which was in response to your note pursuant to the Department’s instruction No. 1299 of January 13, 1925, relates to two questions: First, the reciprocal recognition of the equivalence of French and American vessel inspection legislation, and, second, the recognition by the French Government of the American Bureau of Shipping.
With respect to the first question, the competent authority of the Government of the United States has carefully examined the whole matter and has reached the conclusion that the vessel inspection laws of France approximate those of the United States.
Section 4400 of the Revised Statutes of the United States provides that private steam passenger vessels of other countries shall be liable to visitation and inspection by the proper officer in any of the ports of the United States, but that when such vessels belong to countries having inspection laws approximating those of the United States, they shall, on condition of reciprocity, be subject to no other inspection than is necessary to satisfy local inspectors as to the correctness of their inspection certificates.
The competent authority of the Government of the United States further states that an order is in effect that the merchant steam vessels of France sailing from ports in the United States, and holding proper French inspection certificates, shall be subject to no other inspection than is necessary to satisfy the local inspectors.
[Page 128]In 1924, however, the Dollar Steamship Company’s ships were required to go into dry dock in French ports for examination. The reciprocity necessary to the continuance of American exemption of French vessels having thus seemingly terminated, the Embassy was requested in instruction No. 1299, January 13, 1925, to inform the French Government that, in order to re-establish reciprocal vessel inspection relations between the two countries, it would be necessary for France to accept American legislation on inspection matters as equivalent to existing French legislation and to agree to recognize American inspection certificates. The French authorities replied that the legal basis for the old arrangement had terminated and proposed a new and more general agreement which would apply to all vessels of the two countries and take into account recent modifications in French and in American maritime legislation.
In order that this might be accomplished a text of the French laws concerning the security of navigation and concerning hygiene was furnished. The competent authority of this Government, having carefully studied the vessel inspection laws of France and having found them to approximate those of the United States, now proposes that this Government enter into a new reciprocal agreement with France.
There are enclosed copies of the letter of the Department of Commerce of March 25, 1926, and of the following documents the latter in duplicate:53
Quarantine Laws and Regulations of the United States, Revised Edition, June, 1920, (issued by the Treasury Department, United States Public Health Service).
General Rules and Regulations prescribed by the Board of Supervising Inspectors April 6, 1926, (issued by the Department of Commerce, Steamboat Inspection Service).
Laws Governing the Steamboat Inspection Service, June 24, 1925, (issued by the Department of Commerce, Steamboat Inspection Service).
It is desired that you transmit these documents to the appropriate official of the French Government, calling his attention to the opinion of the Department of Commerce that they can be studied without a conference, but expressing the willingness of this Government to participate in a conference should it be deemed desirable.
With respect to the recognition of the American Bureau of Shipping, it is assumed from the penultimate paragraph of the French note of June 20, 1925, that such recognition can readily be effected.54
The Embassy is instructed in bringing the above considerations to the attention of the French Government, to inquire whether it is the [Page 129] intention of the French Government to accord to vessels of the United States such recognition as is desired that the Government of the United States accord to vessels of France.55
I am [etc.]