394.1153 Smith Company, Werner G./73: Telegram
The Consul General at Shanghai (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
Shanghai, November 18, 1938—7
p.m.
[Received November 19—4 a.m.]
[Received November 19—4 a.m.]
1423. My 1415, November 16, 5 p.m.,44 wood oil.
- 1.
- I have received a letter from the Japanese Consul General stating “that the Japanese naval authorities will promptly pay the price asked by the Werner G. Smith Company, i.e. $0.11 (11 cents) United States currency per pound for the remaining cargo after it was weighed by a public surveyor provided that the Werner G. Smith Company waive all claim for the portion of the original shipment which has already been lost.” The letter continues to the effect that there now seems to be “some means of disposing of the said wood oil at Nanking and the Japanese naval authorities are willing, should the company so desire, to deliver the remaining cargo to the company at Nanking with clear understanding that the cargo shall not be brought down the Yangtze to Shanghai,” and concludes with a request for a reply from the American firm concerned.
- 2.
- I have no information of any commercial market at Nanking for the wood oil.
- 3.
- I feel it would be useless to renew representations for payment by the Japanese for the original shipment of approximately 240 long tons and might weaken our position on other matters.
Repeated to Chungking, Peiping, Hankow and Nanking. Code text by mail to Tokyo.
Gauss
- Not printed.↩