File No. 195.1/150
The British Ambassador (Spring
Rice) to the Secretary of State
British Embassy,
Washington,
October 24, 1914.
[Received October 27.]
No. 362]
Sir: I have the honour to transmit to you
herewith in original a note addressed by His Majesty’s Principal
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the United States Ambassador
in London, which was sent to this Embassy by mistake, on the subject of
the case of the
S. S. Robert Dollar
.
I have informed Sir Edward Grey by
telegraph that I am communicating this note to you, and requesting him
to furnish Mr. Page with a
copy.
I have [etc.]
[Enclosure]
The British Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs (Grey) to the
American Ambassador (Page)
No. 56807/14]
Foreign Office,
London
,
October 10, 1914.
Your Excellency: With reference to the
memorandum which your excellency was good enough to communicate to
me on the 6th instant containing a copy of a telegram from the
Secretary of the State Department in regard to the transfer of the
S. S. Robert Dollar from the British to the
United States registry, I have the honour to state that instructions
have been sent to the British authorities at St. Lucia not to oppose
the transfer of this vessel when she visits the island.
I take this opportunity to inform your excellency that there has been
a misapprehension as to the attitude of His Majesty’s Chargé
d’Affaires and His Majesty’s Consul at Rio de Janeiro in connexion
with the proposed change of registry at that port. Neither of these
officials opposed the transfer, which was prevented, according to my
information, by the Brazilian Government under Brazilian
regulations; these are understood to be inspired by the desire to
avoid raising of the difficult questions involved in such a
transaction in time of war.
I have [etc.]
For the Secretary of State:
A. Law