462.11W892/1992

Memorandum by the Undersecretary of State (Castle) of a Telephone Conversation With the German Ambassador (Von Prittwitz), November 17, 1931

The German Ambassador telephoned me to say that he had communicated with his Government in relation to the possible appointment of an umpire57 for the Mixed Claims Commission and that his Government fully supported the agreement we had reached here, that it would not be necessary at the moment to appoint an umpire. He said his Government felt the American and German Commissioners might be able to reach an agreement without an umpire, but if they could not do so, they could at least so closely define the questions at [Page 329] issue that an umpire would have a narrow question only to decide. He felt, as I do, that if the Commissioners found they could not reach an agreement, it will be easy to decide very promptly on the umpire.…

W. R. Castle, Jr.
  1. Roland W. Boyden, Umpire, died on October 25, 1931. He was succeeded by Mr. Justice Owen J. Roberts, of the Supreme Court of the United States, appointed March 24, 1932.