840.4061 Motion Pictures/164
The American Embassy in Germany to the German Ministry for Foreign Affairs 36
The Embassy of the United States of America presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the German Reich and with reference to the Ministry’s Note (Kult K F 194/41) of January 18, 1941, concerning the seizure by the German authorities of certain films from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Film A. G., Berlin, which are the property of the American company Loew’s Incorporated, has the honor to inquire as to the results of the steps taken by the Ministry in the premises. In this connection the Embassy takes the liberty of pointing out again that the films were seized in spite of the Ministry’s kind notification to the competent German authorities “to take careful note of the property rights in question”, namely, the ownership by the American company Loew’s Incorporated of all negatives and positive prints of motion pictures marked with the copyrighted trademark “Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer” and that no reasons were given and no justification has been made for the seizing of this American property which action on the part of the German authorities would appear to be in arbitrary disregard of American property rights.
- Copy transmitted to the Department by The Chargé in Germany in his despatch No. 4732, March 26; received April 23.↩