The Acting Secretary of State to the British Ambassador.
Washington, July 27, 1906.
Excellency: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note No. 138, of the 17th instant, in which, referring to the provision in the treaty of February 25, 1905, between the United States and Great Britain, that the renunciation of the United States of extraterritorial rights in Zanzibar shall not take effect until the similar rights enjoyed there by other nations shall have likewise been renounced, you set forth the reason why the attainment of this result has been delayed, viz: The failure of the Portuguese Government to obtain the sanction of the Cortes to the surrender of such rights on its part. It appears, however, from your note that Portuguese jurisdiction in Zanzibar has in practice been discontinued and transferred to the British court, pending confirmation by the Cortes.
In view of this fact and of the further fact that extraterritorial jurisdiction has already been definitely surrendered by France and Italy, you inquire whether the Government of the United States would also be willing to transfer its jurisdiction to the British court provisionally, pending the final renunciation of her rights by Portugal.
In reply I have the honor to state that the Government of the United States will be pleased to remove on its part any inconvenience that is being caused to the Zanzibar government by the delay in obtaining complete surrender by provisionally foregoing the exercise of its consular jurisdiction in Zanzibar contingently on a similar temporary waiver by the German Government.
I have, etc.,