781.003/147
The Secretary of State to the French Chargé (Truelle)
Sir: I have received your note of August 5, 1938, transmitting a copy of the text of the Anglo-French treaty signed at Paris on July 18, 1938, concerning commercial relations between the French and Tangier Zones of the Shereefian Empire and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In your note you confirm the interest of your Government in concluding two agreements similar to those concluded with Great Britain regarding French Morocco, namely, one having to do with the relinquishment of American extraterritorial rights in French Morocco and the other concerning commercial relations between the United States and the French and Tangier Zones of the Shereefian Empire.
As the Embassy was informed in a note of October 19, 1937,45a this Government is prepared to consider the surrender of its extraterritorial rights in the French Zone of Morocco along the lines of the Anglo-French Convention of July 19 [29], 1937 and to negotiate concurrently a treaty of establishment, commerce and navigation relating to the same Zone. It is expected that drafts of these two instruments will be ready for submittal to your Government the latter part of this year in order to permit their early negotiation in Washington.
In accordance with the intimation contained in my note of October 19, 1937, I have instructed the American Diplomatic Agent at Tangier to concert with the French Protectorate authorities at Rabat with reference to the settlement of certain minor claims of American nationals and protégés in French Morocco. It is hoped that the French Government has already found it possible to give the necessary instructions to the French Protectorate authorities in this regard in order that one of the outstanding problems affecting American interests in the French Zone may be solved to the mutual satisfaction of the two [Page 886] Governments preliminary to the settlement of the larger problems in the contemplated treaty arrangements.
Accept [etc.]