811.114 Netherlands/42
The Minister in the Netherlands ( Emmet ) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 6.]
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the Department’s instruction No. 93 of December 31, 193427 inquiring whether it is possible under the laws of the Netherlands for vessels to clear from a port of the Netherlands with cargoes of alcohol or liquor and to discharge such cargoes into other vessels on the high seas.
In reply, I have the honor to report that according to inquiries made in The Hague, the Legation was informed that there is no effective Netherlands legislation which would prevent vessels from transshipping their cargoes to other vessels on the high seas. To prevent smuggling with neighboring countries, there is a provision that vessels of less than one hundred tons burden must produce a certificate of delivery from the port authorities of the countries declared to be the destination.
The Legation further inquired of the Consulate at Rotterdam and has received a reply, the pertinent parts of which are enclosed herewith.27
Respectfully yours,