611.573 Whale Oil/64

Memorandum by the Secretary of State

The Minister of Norway called and introduced the Counselor of his Legation, Mr. Jorgen Galbe, who, he said, would act for him during his coming three months’ absence in Norway.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Minister finally brought up his whale oil proposition, and I reviewed our efforts to get tariff relief, expressed my strong condemnation of the whale oil tax and insisted that it should be repealed at the earliest possible date. I stated that I was keeping the leaders of both Houses of Congress reminded of the matter, but I saw no possible way for tariff legislation or its equivalent to be considered during the remaining days of this session. We again reviewed the trade relations between the two countries.

The Minister then changed the subject and remarked that his country and many of the Balkan countries felt that the collective peace system had broken down and that they were in a state of deep concern as to the future course and attitude of peaceful nations towards suitable policies to promote and preserve peace; that he knew his Government would be much interested to have the benefit of anything in my mind as to the attitude and possible course of this Government with respect to these phases.

I replied that there was nothing I could say more than to sum up the objectives and efforts to attain them on the part of this Government to date. I said that these comprised three major objectives:—(1) to bring the 22 American nations closely together for all mutually [Page 398] desirable cooperative purposes as might be deemed at all feasible or possible by each country; (2) to propose and carry forward in every possible way a comprehensive and basic economic program for world economic rehabilitation in order to promote increased employment, business, and commerce, and hence the welfare of peoples everywhere; and, (3) to stand for the restoration of many other desirable international relationships, including those pertaining to the restoration of international law, morals, the sanctity of contracts and agreements, etc., etc., these undertakings revolving around the spirit and the policy of the Kellogg Pact,5 with the primary object of developing the most solid foundation for a permanent peace structure, the economic portion constituting the most important part of such foundation. I added particularly that in all circumstances, this Government would refrain from any relationships that might make possible political or other involvements of an objectional nature from this country’s standpoint.

Cordell Hull
  1. Treaty for the Renunciation of War, signed at Paris, August 27, 1928, Foreign Relations, 1928, vol. i, p. 153.