File No. 703.72111/1264
The British, Embassy to the Secretary of State
memorandum
The British Embassy has the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the pro memorial of the State Department dated December 18, [161 enclosing copy of a letter of December 10 from the Department of Justice relative to the case of the S. S. Mazatlan .
The Department of Justice has replied that already on October 19 it had informed the State Department that no facts had been discovered in the case constituting a violation of the Federal penal laws.
The British Embassy has the honour to refer again to its communication of the 27th November in which information was asked as to the results of the enquiry made by Rear Admiral Pond and as to any action, if any, which may have been taken by the United States authorities.3
It will be remembered that the Mazatlan was originally a German ship, but was transferred to the Mexican flag; that clearance Was refused to her at San Francisco on suspicion of her intention to bring coal to the German steamer Leipzig and subsequently allowed on posting of a bond; that she put into San Pedro, for which port she had not cleared, and took on board three German agents who after communicating with the Leipzig arranged for the transference to the warship of the coal she had on board after unloading at Guaymas. There are also accusations of using the wireless in American waters. I may add that the San Francisco Bulletin of October 8 published the story in great detail.
It would naturally be of much importance in considering the question which is now before His Majesty’s Government to ascertain whether it is to be understood from the reply of the Department of [Page 646] Justice that after a full enquiry into the facts it has appeared to the United States Government that laws of the United States have not been violated and that no further action in the matter will be taken.
[Received December 23.]