811.20 (D) Regulations/1353: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consul General at Shanghai (Lockhart)
249. With reference to your despatch no. 253, February 11,53 and to representations made by American Chamber of Commerce, Shanghai, [Page 809] the Department directs that you assign a member of your staff the duty of studying the question of proposed shipments from the United States of commodities intended for the use of reliable firms in Shanghai for their pressing needs. You may suggest to such firms that they inform you when applications for export licenses are submitted in this country for the export to them of merchandise. They should also give you information for transmission to the Department as to the name of applicant in United States, date of application, and amount and exact description of commodity. The interested firms should also be told that they have the full burden of establishing the use to which a given commodity is to be put. You will then inform the Department by despatch or by cable at the firm’s expense your opinion as to the trustworthiness of the firm in question and whether the use to which the commodity is to be put would be in the interests of the United States. Licenses will be granted for the shipments which you recommend if the exportable surplus of the commodity in question is available.
Please make any constructive suggestions you care to in this connection and keep Department informed as to how plan outlined above works out.
- Not printed.↩