The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador (Spring Rice)
My Dear Mr. Ambassador: In reply to your informal note of the 13th instant in regard to dismantling a gun-mount constructed on the British steamship Crewe Hall, at the Brooklyn docks, I desire to inform you, in order to avoid any possible misunderstanding, that the attitude of my Government was not based, as Lord Grey appears to believe, upon the Hague conventions, but upon a desire to prevent possible embarrassment which might arise if armed British ships should increase their armament in American ports, and thereafter, on the high seas use such armament on the captain’s own responsibility or through a misunderstanding of his instructions, offensively against the warships of the enemies of Great Britain. When so many British merchantmen are armed with naval guns, manned by experienced gunners, it is conceivable that in the excitement of the moment, a zealous sea captain might commit acts which would bring his ship within the category of offensively armed ships. It was for the purpose of avoiding possible incidents of this sort that it was felt that this Government should take the conservative view in the case of the S. S. Crewe Hall.
Believe me [etc.]