611.3931/55

The Minister in the Dominican Republic (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State

No. 3556

Sir: Referring to the Department’s telegraphic instruction No. 13, of October 9—7 p.m., I have the honor to enclose, for the Department’s information, a copy of a note8 handed by me this morning to the Minister for Foreign Affairs expressing the confident expectation of our Government that American goods similar in character to the products of the French firms mentioned in the Modus Vivendi which forms part of the Franco-Dominican Trade Agreement, signed here September 4, last, will receive equal treatment with French products, in pursuance of the exchange of notes at Washington September 25, 1924, between our Government and that of the Dominican Republic according mutual most-favored-nation treatment.

When I handed the note to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and apprised him of its contents, the Minister gave no indication of the Dominican Government’s attitude, but he referred again to the desire of the Dominican Government to obtain facilities for its products in the United States. I reminded the Minister of my conversation with him as reported in my despatch No. 3405 of July 10, 1936, when I stated my readiness to transmit to the Department, for its consideration, a statement on behalf of the Dominican Government of its desires and ideas regarding an American-Dominican Trade Agreement. [Page 412] The Minister said, in this relation, that since that conversation he had been assembling the material in the Foreign Office for a study of this matter and he indicated that a memorandum setting forth the Dominican Government’s position on this question might sooner or later be prepared.

Respectfully yours,

H. F. Arthur Schoenfeld
  1. No. 259, October 10, not printed.