711.60p4/7
The Chargé in Latvia ( Cole ) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 26.]
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the Department’s instruction No. 51, dated May 15, 1934, requesting a report on the [Page 618] present status of the negotiations for a treaty of naturalization and military service, initiated by the Legation with the Latvian authorities in compliance with the Department’s instructions Nos. 584 and 632 of December 1, 1928, and May 29, 1929, respectively.
The action taken by the Legation with reference to these instructions was reported in its despatches Nos. 6220 and 6254 of June 18, 1929, and July 9, 1929,11 respectively.
According to these despatches, no reply was received to the notes which the Legation addressed to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on January 7, 1929, and June 10, 1929. However, as reported in despatch No. 6254 of July 9, 1929, the matter was discussed with the Minister for Foreign Affairs a few days prior to that date. On that occasion the Minister for Foreign Affairs stated that objections had been raised to the proposed treaty by the Ministries of War and Interior. At the same time he expressed his willingness to obtain from these Ministries their specific objections. Unfortunately, no further action appears to have been taken by the Legation.
On receipt of the Department’s instruction No. 51 of May 15, 1934, the Legation prepared a note with a view to expediting the conclusion of a treaty of naturalization and military service. This note was personally delivered by me to Mr. Ludvigs Seja, Chief of the Administrative and Juridical Section of the Foreign Office on June 1, 1934. A copy of the note, No. 57, dated May 31, 1934, is herewith enclosed.12
Mr. Seja promised to give the matter immediate attention and the Legation hopes to be able to submit a report on the attitude of the Government of Latvia toward the provisions of the draft treaty in the near future.
Respectfully yours,
- For despatch No. 6220, see Foreign Relations, 1929, vol. i, p. 449; despatch No. 6254 not printed.↩
- Not printed.↩