893.515/350: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Chargé in China (Gauss)
352. Your 503, November 1, 3 p.m., and 505, November 2, 3 p.m.34 Department is not prepared to authorize representations to the Chinese Government in protest against either the imposition by that Government without prior notice of a duty on the export of silver or the claim of the Chinese Customs to the effect that its control over export cargo continues until clearance of the exporting vessel.
In view of the foregoing, Department is of the opinion that the Legation should cause to have brought to the attention of the concerned banks the fact that the American Government is not prepared to intercede on their behalf in regard to the claims outlined in the Legation’s telegrams under reference and that the banks should on their own responsibility determine whether their best interests would be served by the initiation or continuance of direct negotiations with the Chinese authorities.
Treasury Department states orally that United States Customs exercise complete control over export cargoes until clearance of the exporting vessels and that under certain conditions such control continues as long as the exporting vessels remain within the territorial waters of the United States.
- Neither printed; these telegrams concerned export duties on silver for which export permits had been obtained and which had been loaded on vessels prior to the effective date of the order providing export duty. (893.515/349, 350.)↩