Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1940, The American Republics, Volume V

819.852/5a: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Panama (Dawson)

Washington, December 7, 1940—4 p.m.

186. The Department has learned recently of the sale to Japanese buyers, presumably for scrapping, of the S. S. Theodoros Coumantaros of Panamanian registry. Under the new regulations effective October 16, 1940 licenses for the exportation of all grades of iron and steel scrap will be issued to permit shipments to the countries of the Western Hemisphere and Great Britain only. Furthermore it may be stated for your strictly confidential information, that the United States Maritime Commission has not in recent years authorized the transfer of vessels of the United States registry to Japanese interests.²⁶

Please inform the Panamanian Government in confidence of the attitude of this Government toward this question and inquire whether it would be willing to cooperate insofar as may be possible in preventing in the future the transfer of vessels under Panamanian registry to Japan.

Hull

26. For further correspondence regarding economic measures against Japan, see vol. iv, pp. 565 ff.