Office of the Historian

300.113(39) Oakman/9: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy) to the Secretary of State

London, November 8, 1939—6 p.m.
[Received November 8—1:25 p.m.]

2307. Department’s 1374, 4th. Ministry of Economic Warfare anticipates that since the Neutrality Act82 is in force there will be no more difficulty at United Kingdom ports of control, but they expect an increase in difficulty at Gibraltar because Germany will intensify her efforts to get American goods through Italy, Switzerland and southern Europe and it will be necessary to investigate goods and consignees very closely.

Tentative suggestions have been made as to the possibility of having control established at Marseille or Oran instead of Gibraltar. Would this be better for American ships?

Kennedy
  1. Passed by Congress and approved November 4, 1939; 54 Stat. 4. For correspondence, see pp. 656 ff.↩