Office of the Historian

611.62M31/106: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Bingham)

Washington, May 25, 1937—4 p.m.

196. Your 251, April 29, 6 p.m., regarding Samoa, penultimate paragraph. As indicated in instruction No. 1591, February 8, 1937, Department contemplates replying to New Zealand with reference to the note of June 3, 1936, transmitted with the Embassy’s despatch No. 2242, June 5, 1936. This reply should be ready for delivery within the next few weeks.

Please inform Foreign Office of above and add that this Government agrees to continuance of discussion on present oral and informal basis. This acquiescence should create no misunderstanding of the United States’ intention to look to His Majesty, acting through one of his governments, for eventual compliance with the Treaty of 1899.

If at all possible to obtain it the Department would appreciate a copy of the opinion of the crown law officers.

Welles