740.00112 Navicert/207
The Secretary of State to the Consul at Tunis (Heisler)
Sir: The Department has received your despatch no. 523 of September 26, 1940, transmitting the request of the Société Tunisienne des Petroles, Tunis, distributors for the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, that the Department intervene with the British authorities with a view to permitting the entry into Tunisia of petroleum products from the United States.
You should inform the Société Tunisienne des Petroles that the British navicert system operates only by the direct and voluntary application of American exporters to the British authorities. This Government is not connected with or responsible for the operation of the system and imposes no obligation upon any exporter to apply for or to refrain from applying for a navicert.
In view of the statement of the Société Tunisienne des Petroles that it has no means in Tunis of getting in touch with the British authorities on this subject, it should be pointed out that the exporter in the United States has facilities for making application for navicerts. Furthermore, you may perform any appropriate notarial services in connection with any applications which the Société Tunisienne des Petroles may wish to forward to the nearest British Consul outside Tunisia, but such transmission should be left entirely to the applicants and no responsibility should be accepted by any American officer for the correctness of statements made in applications or for their transmission.
Very truly yours,