667N.116/56: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consul General at Jerusalem ( Wadsworth )
Your 23, December 13, 5 p.m. American Embassy at London has been instructed26 to inform British Foreign Office that this Government cannot recognize either the necessity or justification for the administration of any exchange control or import license system in Palestine which would give preferential treatment to imports from British Empire sources with a resultant discrimination against imports from the United States. The Embassy has also been instructed to state that the Government of the United States confidently expects that the British Government, in accordance with its obligation under the American-British Palestine Convention of December 3, 1924, will continue to recognize that American products must be admitted to Palestine on the basis of full equality in all respects with British and all other products.
You should so inform the Palestine authorities and state that this Government cannot recognize the validity of any action by the Palestine authorities, whether taken on their own initiative or by direction of the British Government, which would effect the violation of American [Page 815] treaty rights envisaged in the statement of policy communicated to the Consulate General by the Economic Adviser.
Please telegraph a full report of any actual case of discrimination against American importations.
Your 24, December 15, 5 p.m., was received subsequent to the drafting of the above. However, none of the considerations presented in your telegram are such as to alter the position of this Government as set forth in this present telegram. You will be informed subsequently of the Department’s observations in reply to your 24, December 15, 5 p.m.
- See infra.↩