711.00111 Lic. Martin Company, Glenn L./93/28
The Secretary of State to the Secretary of War (Woodring)
The Secretary of State presents his compliments to the Honorable the Secretary of War and acknowledges the receipt of his letter of October 18, 1937, transmitting a copy of a confidential radiogram37 received in the Bureau of Insular Affairs from the United States High Commissioner to the Philippine Islands, in regard to a proposed shipment of three airplanes from Manila to Hong Kong.
Mr. Hull would appreciate it if Mr. Woodring would transmit to the High Commissioner a reply as follows:
The President on September 14, following a conference with the Secretary of State and the Chairman of the United States Maritime Commission, issued a statement in part as follows:
“Merchant vessels owned by the Government of the United States will not hereafter, until further notice, be permitted to transport to China or Japan any of the arms, ammunition, or implements of war which were listed in the President’s Proclamation of May 1, 1937.
[Page 546]“Any other merchant vessels, flying the American flag, which attempt to transport any of the listed articles to China or Japan will, until further notice, do so at their own risk.”
No restrictions other than those indicated in the President’s statement are in effect in respect to the transportation of arms to China or Japan. There are, however, no restrictions in effect in respect to transportation of arms to Hong Kong whatever the intended ultimate destination may be.
- Neither printed.↩