File No. 763.72/8471
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Memorandum
With reference to the Embassy memorandum of October 1, 1917,1 regarding the allocation of enemy ships in China and Siam, the following is the substance of telegrams which have recently been exchanged between the Foreign Office and the British Legations in Tokyo, Peking, and Bangkok. The Japanese Government point out that their desire to obtain a share of tonnage both in China and Siam was in order to supply the deficiency in their means of transportation, occasioned by the sale and charter of Japanese ships. Consequently a share of ships from Siam, subject to conditions that they are devoted to war purposes in European waters, would not meet their requirements.
[Page 699]The Japanese Government, therefore, are prepared to offer no objection to His Majesty’s Government acquiring the whole of Japan’s share of vessels in Siam, provided that His Majesty’s Government approve the following proposal as to the allocation of vessels in China and Japan maintaining absolute liberty of action with regard to her share.
Japan gets the Albenga, Bohemia, Sexta, and Triumpf, total 11,418 tons.
Great Britain gets Deike Rickmers, Helene, Käthe, and Keong Wai, total 9,152 tons.
United States gets China, Silesia, total 11,200 tons.
If the vessels Gertrud and Georg are found to exist, the Japanese Government have no objection to their acquisition by His Majesty’s Government.
It will be noted that this does not affect the vessels which are to be assigned to the United States, and which still remain as before the China and Silesia.
The British Government are prepared to accept the offer of the Japanese Government’s share of vessels in Siam, but in order to obtain agreement with the Chinese Government regarding Chinese enemy ships, have been forced to hand over the steamship Keong Wai to Chinese merchants, and trust therefore that the Japanese Government will agree to the Sexta being transferred to His Majesty’s Government’s share in place of the steamship Keong Wai.1 This would still give Japan and the United States a larger amount of tonnage than His Majesty’s Government will receive, whilst they have to meet out of their share pressing requirements of France and Italy.
Assuming that the Japanese Government accept the above settlement as regards both Chinese and Siamese enemy ships, the following distribution of Siamese ships is proposed:
- 1.
- Landrat Schieff, and Petchaburi to America.
- 2.
- Pitsanulok and Patano to France.
- 3.
- Trautenfels to England.
In the case of the S.S. Kohsichang and Chiengmai, which should have been allotted to Japan under the original proposal, the British Government are suggesting to the French Government that the Inter-Allied Chartering Executive should, according to the war needs of the moment, allot them to Italian or French trades.
[Received November 8.]