711.5627/75
The Chargé in the Netherlands (Wilson) to the Secretary of
State
No. 194
The
Hague, April 8, 1935.
[Received April
17.]
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of the Department’s instruction No. 96, of January 9,
1935,16
concerning our negotiations with the Netherlands over the final form
of the Air Navigation Arrangement between the two countries embodied
in an exchange of notes signed at Washington on November 16,
1932.17
In accordance with the Department’s desire, a note was handed to the
Minister for Foreign Affairs on February 12, 1935, a copy of which
is enclosed herewith, and a reply has just been received indicating
that the matter is at present receiving attention from the various
departments of the Government. A copy and a translation are
enclosed.16
In delivering our note to Jhr. Snouck Hurgronje, the Secretary
General of the Foreign Office, I followed the Department’s
instructions and conversed informally with him concerning the
question of the Philippine Islands. He said that they had included
in their note No. 34973 of November 20, 1934,18 the
question of the Philippine
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Islands because they wanted to know our reason for departing from
the original conception of the treaty. I told him that we had less
confidence in the Far Eastern situation today than we had several
years ago and that uncertainties had been brought into the situation
which had perhaps not been anticipated at that time. He then said
that he thoroughly understood and that he did not himself believe
that there would be any further difficulties with the treaty. He
expressed the usual regrets over our Philippine policy, which he
feared would prove disastrous for everybody with interests in the
Far East.
Respectfully yours,
[Enclosure]
The American Minister (Emmet) to the Netherland Minister for Foreign
Affairs (De
Graeff)
No. 113
The
Hague, February 12, 1935.
Excellency: I have the honor to refer
to Your Excellency’s courteous Note No. 34973, of November 20,
1934, relating to the Air Navigation Convention between the
United States and the Netherlands embodied in an exchange of
Notes signed at Washington on November 16, 1932.
The substance of Your Excellency’s Note was forwarded to
Washington, where it has received careful consideration and
where I was able, during my recent visit to the United States,
to go over the various points made with officials of the
Department of State.
My Government, according to an instruction just received, while
not losing sight of the general purpose of the Convention, which
is to extend free traffic over as great a proportion of the
territories and possessions of the two nations as possible,
cannot agree at present to the inclusion in Article 1 of other
American territories than those already listed, namely, Alaska,
Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. In
indicating a willingness to include these territories in the
arrangement, while suggesting only the inclusion of the
Netherlands possessions of Surinam and Curagao, my Government
considers that it is making a very liberal proposal and hopes
that Your Excellency’s Government will view the matter in that
light.
In paragraph 3 of Your Excellency’s above-mentioned Note of
November 20th, you point out that I made no mention of Guam or
the Aleutian Islands, but this was the case only because I
believed that Your Excellency understood that these two
territories are prohibited areas where, even should my
Government conclude an Air Navigation Agreement applying to all
its territories, flights could not be made without special
authorization. This applies particularly to Guam—as to the
Aleutian Islands, the question is at present being
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studied in connection
with flights over Alaska and a change in policy is possible, but
this can only be decided in the future.
Your Excellency has pointed out that the inclusion of other
territories in the terms of the Agreement is desirable in their
relation to a general policy of removing limitations on
commercial flights, and has added that the interest of the
Netherlands is not purely theoretical. This is well understood
by my Government but I am instructed to say that it has been
decided as a matter of policy, for the present at least, to omit
these territories from the Air Navigation Agreements to which
the United States becomes a party. Since this decision has its
origin in American policy, I doubt if the reasons which have
guided my Government in adopting it could be brought forward by
this Legation to influence the “Volksraad” of the Netherland
Indies in its future actions concerning the amendments to the
Agreement. I do not find a way, much to my regret, of complying
with Your Excellency’s request in this regard other than to
repeat that a matter of policy is involved.
In this Legation’s Note No. 52, of August 3, 1934,19 I stated that it was
hoped that negotiations might be undertaken in the future for
the extension of the Agreement through a new Article 16 to cover
territories excluded by the prescriptions of Article 1. In reply
Your Excellency has asked whether or not it is the intention of
my Government to proceed as soon as possible to negotiations
with such extensions in view. I regret that no assurances can be
given as to the time when the United States will be prepared to
enter into such negotiations but must confine myself to that
which was said in the Note which I submitted for Your
Excellency’s consideration in August. At the same time I take
due note of your assurances that when the United States is
prepared to include the Philippine and Hawaiian Islands, through
a new Article 16, the Netherlands Government will be willing to
act likewise with respect to the Netherland Indies.
I avail myself [etc.]
