781.003/190
The Secretary of the Italian Embassy
(Capomazza) to the Chief of
the Division of Near Eastern Affairs (Murray)
Washington, March 13, 1939 XVII.
My Dear Mr. Murray: Referring to our
conversation on the French Morocco, I wish to thank you very much
for your letter of March 10th,23 and for the copy of the note addressed by the
Department of State to the Belgian Ambassador on the matter.24
Herewith enclosed you will find, in the form of an aide-mémoire, a translation of the “résumé” of the note
sent25 by the Italian Government to the French
and English ones.
I am unable to send you the full text of the note, as we ourselves do
not have it. Our Foreign Office has only asked us to inform the
Department of State of the contents of the note.
Sincerely yours,
B. Capomazza di
Compolattaro
[Enclosure]
The Italian
Embassy to the Department of
State
Aide-Mémoire
The Italian Government has informed the French and British
Governments that, in its opinion, the Anglo-French Agreement of
[Page 651] July 18,
1938,26 concerning Morocco, is in
contrast with the principle of freedom and economic equality
established by the Treaty of Algeciras:
- 1)
- Because it grants to Morocco the right of
reciprocity;
- 2)
- Because it allows Morocco to change the actual customs
duties of 10 percent ad valorem;
- 3)
- Because it makes possible a system of quotas on which
England has already obtained some discriminatory
advantages;
- 4)
- Because it allows the abrogation of the “Règlement sur
les Douanes de l’Empire” (Chapter 5 of the Act of
Algeciras).
Taking into consideration the foregoing as well as the fact that
the Anglo-French Agreement of July 18, 1938 is detrimental to
Italian interests, inasmuch as special tariffs are applied to
British merchandise, and as the greatest advantages benefiting
England, particularly from the quota point of view, concern
products forming the greater part of Italian exports to Morocco,
the Italian Government makes the widest reservations as to the
legality of said Treaty. The Italian Government declares,
moreover, that while it intends to maintain intact its rights
deriving from the provisions of the Treaty of Algeciras, it
expects at the same time to take part in all those modifications
that will be deemed advisable to bring to the economic and
commercial clauses of said Treaty.
Washington,
March 13,
1939 XVII.
