611.3931/58
The Acting Secretary of State to the Chargé in the Dominican Republic ( Atwood )
Sir: The Department has received the Legation’s despatch No. 3579, of October 23, relative to a conversation between Minister Schoenfeld and the Dominican Minister for Foreign Affairs respecting Dominican-American commerce.
The Department notes that on page 4 of the despatch Minister Schoenfeld stated that the Minister for Foreign Affairs “referred particularly to his understanding that an increased quota for Dominican sugar in the American market was an administrative matter with which our Government could, if it so desired, deal to the advantage of the Dominican Republic and without reference to the enactment of further legislation by our Congress”.
There is enclosed for your information a copy of a note of October 29,16 together with a memorandum of the same date,17 addressed by the Secretary of State to the Peruvian Ambassador in Washington. While the Department does not believe it necessary for you to take up the matter in a special interview with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, you should, upon the next suitable occasion, endeavor to correct the erroneous impression of the Dominican Minister for Foreign Affairs with respect to our sugar policy as quoted above. In doing so, you may make such use as you may deem fit of the information setting forth the attitude of this country and contained in the enclosure to this instruction. Naturally you should not divulge the fact that the information contained in this memorandum was communicated to the Peruvian Ambassador in reply to specific representations made by him for a larger quota for the importation of Peruvian sugar into the United States for consumption.
[Page 425]There are also enclosed for purposes of comparison in using the memorandum, figures18 on the imports of dutiable cane sugar from the Dominican Republic from 1912 to 1933, inclusive.
Very truly yours,