Mr. Leishman to Mr.
Hay.
Legation of the United States,
Constantinople, September 7,
1902.
No. 272.]Sir: I beg to inclose herewith for your
information copy of further correspondence with the agents of the New
York Life Insurance Company in regard to the difficulties encountered in
prosecuting their business in the Turkish provinces.
[Page 1040]
This matter has received the careful and energetic attention of the
legation for months past, and every proper effort has been made to
induce the Sublime Porte to adjust the differences with the insurance
companies, but so far without any actual results, although the Porte
claims to have the matter under advisement and promises to endeavor to
arrange existing trouble shortly.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 1]
Messrs. Whittall &
Co. to Mr. Leishman.
Constantinople, September 5, 1902.
Sir: We have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your dispatch of the 25th ultimo, and now beg to thank
your excellency for having caused the surrender of the policies
which were seized by the Ottoman authorities.
We regret to notice your excellency is not disposed to act more
energetically for protecting the New York Life against the
aggressive measures pursued by the Ottoman Government in
contravention of its treaties.
Unfortunately, the other insurance companies in Turkey have not met
with difficulties to the same extent as the New York Life, and your
excellency is evidently unaware that there are many English
fire-insurance companies doing business in the provinces without
being interferred with, in fact in towns where the New York Life has
met with obstruction. The necessity has therefore not arisen for the
other companies to petition their respective ambassadors, who would
probably be unwilling to take any action in the matter unless they
had cause for complaint.
We are, moreover, informed that several companies some years ago
obtained permits from the Ottoman Government, one of which was the
“Aachen and Munchen.”
Under all the circumstances, in the opinion of our legal advisers and
ourselves, the difficulties which the New York Life has experienced
fully justify the American Government taking stronger measures than
it has done.
We have, etc.,
J. W. Whittall & Co.
[Inclosure 2.]
Mr. Leishman to
Messrs. Whittall & Co.
Legation of the United States,
Constantinople, September 7, 1902.
Gentlemen: Replying to your communication
of September 5, the legation notes the statement which you make in
regard to fire insurance companies, which is quite in accord with
the information developed during progress of the investigation, but
evidently the Ottoman Government, for reasons of its own, has not as
yet determined to take any repressive action against this class of
insurance companies, and the legation has no knowledge of any
American fire insurance companies being represented in Turkey.
The legation has and will continue to press the Porte energetically
to adjust the pending difficulties with American life insurance
companies, but in absence of evidence tending to show that
particular discrimination exists against American companies, I do
not feel warranted in taking more aggressive measures without
special instructions from my Government.
I am, etc.,
