763.72113/2221
The Danish Minister (Brun) to the Secretary of State
No. 5
Sir: I beg to refer to previous correspondence concerning compensation for German merchant vessels seized by the United States during the world war and belonging to residents of North Slesvig, who later became citizens of Denmark, lastly your note of April 20, 1926 [Page 464] and the note from this Legation of April 23, 1926,5 and to state as follows:
As you no doubt are aware there is now before the U. S. Senate a bill on this subject (H. R. 7201), which was passed by the House on December 20, 1927. The provisions regarding merchant ships are to be found inter alias in Section 4 b. No. 1 and Section 4 e.
These provisions would however appear to have regard only to German nationals, as defined in Section 17, and to have for purpose to indemnify such German Nationals within certain limits and on certain conditions, on which point it is argued that whatever legal rights for compensation the original owners may have had, were wiped out by the provisions of the treaty of Versailles adopted by the treaty of Berlin,6 see Report No. 17 of December 15, 1927 from the Committee on Ways and Means of the House page 8.
In these circumstances I beg to suggest that these Danish citizens were not bound by the treaty of Berlin, and that full and unqualified compensation should be granted to them, and I venture to ask you to be so good as to submit this suggestion to the Committee of the Senate. This Committee appears to be about ready to report the bill, and I would be greatly obliged to you if my request could be communicated to the Committee as soon as convenient, in order that an amendment covering the aforesaid Danish interests might be proposed and passed, if deemed proper.
For your convenience I beg to enclose copies of the bill and report in question.7
I have [etc.]
- Neither printed.↩
- Between the United States and Germany, signed Aug. 25, 1921; Foreign Relations, 1921, vol. ii, p. 29.↩
- Enclosures not printed.↩