740.00112 European War 1939/141
The German Chargé (Thomsen) to the Secretary of State
Aide-Mémoire
On the occasion of the presentation to the Department of State of the United States of his note of September 19, 1939,31 dealing with the “Act to Amend the German Prize Law” and the “Ordinance on [Page 741] Conditional Contraband”, of September 12, 1939, the German Chargé d’Affaires made the following remarks:
We are merely following the procedure applied against us by England ever since the beginning of the War. It goes without saying that our procedure can by no means be regarded as directed against neutral states; it is exclusively directed against England. We would regret it if neutral shipping and commercial interests should be injured thereby; and we would be prepared to rescind or restrict our measures to the same extent to which England rescinds or restricts her measures taken against supplies provided by neutrals to Germany. Unfortunately, however, there are indications that further intensification of the English procedure is to be expected which, in turn, would compel us to follow suit.
The German Chargé d’Affaires also presented to the Department of State an inofficial translation of the “Act to Amend the Prize Law” and of the “Ordinance on Conditional Contraband”, of September 12, 1939.
- Supra. ↩