862.852/54

The Minister in Honduras ( Erwin ) to the Secretary of State

No. 861

Sir: I have the honor to report that I was informed today by Mr. Harold Darlington, British Vice Consul in Tegucigalpa, that it has been reliably reported the German freighter Wesermunde, at present at Curaçao, West Indies, is negotiating for a change of registry to the Honduran flag. The new name this vessel will take is Chirropo, according to this report.

It is believed that the effort to change to Honduran registry at this time is motivated by the fact that the ship is now in a port controlled by the Dutch and that this step is being taken as protection for the German owners in the event the Netherlands break relations with Germany.

Respectfully yours,

John D. Erwin