681.003/167
The Chargé in the United Kingdom (Atherton) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 20.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Department’s telegram No. 48 of March 8, 7 p.m., instructing the Embassy to inform the Foreign Office that during the negotiations for the settlement of the claims of American protégés arising in the Spanish Zone of Morocco, the Spanish have indicated that they desire to inject the question of surrender of extraterritorial rights.
The substance of that telegram was conveyed to the Foreign Office, which expressed its thanks and inquired what the Department had thought of the question of “possible concerted action” suggested by the Foreign Office and repeated in paragraph 3 of the Embassy’s telegram No. 96, March 7 [6], 12 noon. The Embassy replied that that point seemed covered by the Department’s statement that it has no present intention of giving up its extraterritorial privileges, and that therefore the two countries were apparently in accord in the policy they had in mind. The Foreign Office expressed the hope that it might be kept informed of any further developments in this relation.
After mentioning that the Spanish Embassy in London had addressed a note on the subject in January and another note the latter part of February, the Foreign Office asked specifically if it might be advised when the Spanish first indicated a desire to inject the question of the surrender of extraterritorial rights into the present negotiations with the United States. I should be glad, therefore, to receive any information in this connection which I may convey to the Foreign Office.
Respectfully yours,