811.0141 Phoenix Group/43
The British Ambassador (Lindsay) to the Secretary of State
Sir: I have the honour to inform you that I have acquainted His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom with the contents of your note of the 1st March regarding the ownership of certain Pacific islands and that I have also reported the communication which Mr. Pierrepont Moffat was so good as to make to me on the 5th March to the effect that the President of the United States had signed an Executive Order placing Canton and Enderbury Islands for administrative Purposes under the United States Department of the Interior and that a party had been sent to the islands to effect a landing and to hoist the United States flag.
I have now been instructed to inform you that His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom much regret that this action should have been taken without awaiting their proposals82 which, it is their hope, will serve as a basis for ending an unfortunate controversy in a manner designed to preserve intact the real interests of all parties concerned, whilst rendering of less importance the vexed question of conflicting claims to ownership of various islands in the Southern Pacific.
[Page 84]I am to add that His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom cannot regard the present decision of the United States Government as in any way affecting the juridical situation and that they maintain all their rights to the Phoenix Islands including Canton and Enderbury Islands. They earnestly hope however that no further difficulties will arise pending the receipt of their proposals.
I have [etc.]
- Marginal note to the original: “No indication that proposals were even contemplated before last Saturday. P[ierrepont] M[offat].”↩