693.003/1213
The Consul General at Canton (Linnell) to the Ambassador in China (Johnson)67
Sir: I have the honor to refer to this Consulate General’s despatches No. 41 of February 15, 1937 and No. 67 of April 27, 1937, concerning the Conservancy Tax at Canton, and to now report that the Consul of France at Canton today informed this office that under instructions from his Government he would address the Commissioner of Customs at Canton informing him that the French Government considered the Conservancy Tax at Canton as contrary to the provisions of the Nine-Power Treaty signed at Washington on February 6, 1922. He said his letter would be very mildly worded and not a “letter of protest”, since the French at Canton have little to gain by raising the question due to the smallness of their import-export trade with Canton.
Respectfully yours,
- Copy transmitted to the Department by the Ambassador in China in his despatch No. 1299, June 24; received July 26.↩