150.071 Control/113

The Netherlands Minister (Van Royen) to the Chief of the Division of Western European Affairs (Boal)

No. 4385

My Dear Colleague:—With reference to our conversation of last night concerning the King Bill (“S 7, a bill to provide for the deportation of certain alien seamen and for other purposes”),2 which the author reported to the Senate on December the 18th, I enclose a copy of the Memorandum I left at the Department of State in February of this year,3 when it looked as if the same bill, which was then numbered S 202, was about to come up for final action in the Senate.

You will realize from the contents of the Memorandum how seriously the Netherland shipping interests would be affected if the bill in question were to become law and I would appreciate it very much if the Authorities concerned would give full consideration to this matter.

If you can suggest any other steps which I could take or if you consider that I should send a new memorandum to the Department of State on the subject, will you be good enough to let me know?

I may add that Representative Schneider introduced a bill, No. H, R. 4648, identical to that of Mr. King, in the House of Representatives,4 which bill had been referred to the Committee of Immigration and Naturalization.

Yours sincerely,

J. H. van Royen
  1. See Congressional Record, vol. 75, pt. 1, p. 768.
  2. Foreign Relations, 1931, vol. i, p. 816.
  3. Congressional Record, vol. 75, pt. 1, p. 162.