811.114 Belgium/147
The Danish Ministry for Foreign Affairs to the American Legation in Denmark 59
Note Verbale
By its Note Verbale of July 26th last, the Legation of the United States of America requested to be informed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs whether the vessel Jan, from which a cargo of alcoholic beverages was, between the 1st and 3rd of the same month, transferred on the high seas to two American vessels engaged in smuggling, was guilty of an illicit act in violation of Danish law; and, if so, respectfully asked for an investigation of the matter, looking to appropriate action being taken against those responsible.
After taking up the matter with the competent Danish authorities the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the honor to make known to the Legation that its findings are in the negative; in view of the fact that from the information available the said transfer did take place on the eastern coast of America to some American ships, it is therefore not found that the act in question is governed by the provisions of Article 1 of Law No. 85 of March 31, 1931, which relates only to the employment of a Danish vessel engaged in the organized smuggling of alcoholic goods destined to a State having ratified the Convention signed at Helsingfors the 19th of August, 1925,60 for the repression of the smuggling of alcoholic products.