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  3. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Western Europe and Canada, Volume XXVII
  4. Document 172

172. Despatch From the Embassy in Denmark to the Department of State1

No. 560
Copenhagen, December 22, 1955.

SUBJECT

  • Ratification of Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation

Mr. H.C. Hansen, the Prime and Foreign Minister of Denmark, this morning in reply to a direct question from me said that the bill to be presented to the Folketing for the ratification of the Treaty of [Page 493] Friendship, Commerce and Navigation between Denmark and the United States is “ready.”2.I gathered from further questions about the long delay in presenting this bill that the Danish Government has deliberately held it up until the matter of the Danish shipping claims against the United States has been settled.3 The Prime Minister in effect but not directly gave me a firm impression that this is the case and I think that it is important that cognizance be taken of this fact by the Department and other Government agencies.

For too long a time the settlement of the Danish shipping claims has been held up and even delayed in Washington. Ever since the war the Danish Ambassador4 there has struggled to get some sort of settlement. Of course, I am aware that the Department itself has pressed the matter vigorously, but it has not been possible to get agreement between the U.S. Government departments with the result that the matter is still in abeyance.

The Department will recall that about a year ago the late Mr. Hans Hedtoft, at that time Prime Minister of Denmark, requested me to use all my efforts to press the matter to a conclusion.

I cannot emphasize too strongly my feeling that this long-delayed settlement should now be effected as quickly as possible. Mr. Hansen said to me in so many words that in his opinion the long delay had damaged Danish-American relations and that further delays would to still more harm. He asked me to convey these words to my Government.

Robert Coe
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.594/12–2255. Confidential.↩
  2. This treaty was signed on October 1, 1951, but did not come into force until July 30, 1961. For text, see TIAS 4797.↩
  3. Reference is to claims against the United States for 40 Danish ships that were registered and used by the United States during World War II. Documentation on the claims is in Department of State, EUR Files: Lot 59 D 233, Denmark 1949–1955.↩
  4. Henrik L.H. Kauffmann.↩