File No. 600.119/571
The Ambassador in Great Britain ( Page) to the Secretary of State
[Telegram]
London,
March 7, 1918—2 p.m.
[Received 9.22 p.m.]
[Received 9.22 p.m.]
8935. War Trade Board [from Sheldon]:
No. 242. Referring my 236 [238].1 The following comments are suggested for your consideration, some of them of minor importance and to some of which considerable importance is attached, and it was suggested that the pressing of any or all of some points should be left to your discretion.
- (a)
- Article 2, paragraph 2.2 Middle of the second sentence to be changed to read: “and furnish[ed] to the War Trade Board and representatives of the Governments associated with the United States in the war showing places etc.,”
- (b)
- Fourth sentence, “[The] statistics which shall be furnished shall be forthcoming not later than thirty days after the period to which they shall have reference and shall state in detail the name, etc.” This is considered important.
- (c)
- Article 2, paragraph 4. Middle of second sentence: “sole agent for the purchase of grain elsewhere than in the United States provided that in so far as the United States Food Administration grain control is not able to furnish the quantities agreed within the aforesaid schedules, the Wheat Executive is in a position to deliver for shipment the necessary quantities to the Norwegian Government.”
- (d)
- Article 2, middle of paragraph 5: “or whose importation shall be facilitated by the War Trade Board licenses for bunker coal and ships’ stores or by the authorities of any country associated with the United States in the war shall be directly or indirectly exported, etc.”
- (e)
- Later in same paragraph read: “Finland or Russia as constituted before the war except as may be mutually agreed, etc.”
- (f)
- Article 2, paragraph 6, middle of the first sentence: “Switzerland, Spain, Finland or Russia as constituted before the war [except] in strict accordance, etc.”
- (g)
- Article 2, end of paragraph 6: “unless consigned to the S[ociété] S[uisse de] S[urveillance Economique] or similar association approved by War Trade Board.” The idea being that provision should be made to substitute for any of the existing associations, a new association in case the present organizations should go out of existence or become unsatisfactory.
- (h)
- Article 3. Substitute for the first two sentences of paragraph 1 the following: “Subject to the proviso of article 2, paragraph 5, Norway may export to Germany and her allies a quantity of fish and fish products not exceeding 48,000 tons per annum calculated on the basis of weight as fresh fish, except in the case of canned fish which shall be calculated at gross weight. The term fish shall be taken to include all categories of fish, both salt water and fresh water including shell fish and marine animals and the term fish products shall be taken to include the products of all fish as herein defined whether fresh, salted, dried, smoked, canned or preserved in any way whatsoever but there shall be no export to Germany or her allies of any oil or derivations thereof of fish or of any marine animals. The quantity of fish and fish products which may be exported to Germany and her allies shall not exceed 4,000 tons in any calendar month provided, however, that such exports to Germany, etc.” This is considered of first importance, as more carefully defining fish products to make it include seals, etc., to which importance is attached. The reference to article 2, paragraph 5, is to prevent the use of imported oils in packing fish, because your text might be taken to abrogate the prohibition in paragraph 5, unless special mention were made of it. Furthermore, it is desirable to include derivations of oil of fish and marine animals.
- (i)
- Article 3, paragraph 1, fourth sentence your text: “no fish caught by Norwegian boats shall, without the consent of the War Trade Board, be landed elsewhere than in Norway, etc.” This is to allow Norwegian trawlers to fish British waters and land fish here.
- (j)
- Article 3, paragraph 1, last sentence: “anything which permits such fish without the consent of the War Trade Board to reach any other destination than Norway.” It is also suggested although it is realized that it might be difficult to obtain, that there be added to the end of the foregoing sentence the following: “and no export of fish or fish products from Norway to neutral countries shall be made except with the consent of the War Trade Board.”
- (k)
- Article 3, paragraph 8, last sentence. Omit the last two words, “containing copper.”
- (l)
- Article 3, paragraph 9, first sentence: “Also the following articles in not to exceed annually the amounts, etc.”
- (m)
- Article 3, paragraph 9: “It is hoped that it will be possible to eliminate felspar, steatite, felspar dust, talcum and raw phosphorous and particularly tools. Talcum is used as a metallic [omission].
- (n)
- [Article] 4, middle of the first sentence, “authorize and permit the export free of all tax or license charges to the United States, etc.” This is considered important.
- (o)
- Article 4, paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 4. While it is realized that no binding guarantee as to the minimum estimated amounts will be forthcoming, the various Government departments are making comparison of the figures of 1917 imports and if there are any further suggestions I will cable on Monday at the latest.
- (p)
- Article 5, paragraph 1, first sentence and second sentence. Delete the word “existing” coming before the words “arrangement or agreement.”
- (q)
- Article 5, paragraph 2, first sentence: “No commodities imported into Norway to be of a kind used in any manufacturing plant, etc.”
- (r)
- Same paragraph, “be requisitioned, commandeered, diverted or distributed directly or indirectly by the Norwegian Government to the detriment of the operation of such a plant.” This is considered important.
- (s)
- Article 5, paragraph 3. Insert before the last sentence the following: “and will permit the export of fish and fish products already purchased or to be purchased by the British purchasing agency subject in the case of future purchases to the domestic requirements of Norway and provided in the case of such future purchases licenses shall if applied for be given for export to the United States of America or to the countries associated with the United States of America in the war to an extent at least equivalent to the amount of fish and fish products exported to the enemy. Any failure to observe the terms, etc.”
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