811.79690 Pan American Airways/67
The Secretary of State to the British Chargé (Mallet)
Sir: The receipt is acknowledged of the Ambassador’s note No. 213, of July 11, 1936, with which was enclosed a copy of a communication addressed to Pan American Airways Company by the Secretary of State for Air,7 in which there are set forth the conditions upon which that company is granted permission to operate an air service into, through, and away from the colony of Hong Kong.
My Government is appreciative of the courtesy of His Majesty’s Government in bringing to its attention the terms of the permission granted to this American company.
In the second paragraph of the Ambassador’s note the following statement is made:
“It will be observed from the latter document that His Majesty’s Government have decided not to enforce for the time being the normal requirement of reciprocity in return for the granting of these facilities, but have nevertheless felt obliged to state that the grant to the Company of operating facilities in Hong Kong for a period of five years is on the understanding that, if during this period facilities are afforded by the United States Government to other nations to operate air services on the trans-Pacific route, similar facilities will automatically be afforded for the operation of British air services on that route.”
In this connection, I wish to state that, if during the period under reference facilities are afforded by the United States Government to [Page 645] other nations to operate air services on the route under reference, this Government will of course be prepared to give sympathetic consideration to an application, if made, for operation by a British company of an air service on that route; but, as this Government desires to consider each such action on its merits as it arises, I am not in position at the present time to give an assurance that such facilities will automatically be afforded.
Accept [etc.]
- Latter not printed.↩