857.014/5
The Norwegian Minister (Bryn) to the Secretary of State
Mr. Secretary of State: On January 7th, 1924, there appeared in the Rochester Herald, (state of New York) a correspondence from the national capital dated January 6, saying among other things that the Norwegian Polar explorer Roald Amundsen had agreed that the United States might claim all the land he might find on the expedition he is planning to make by aeroplanes to the North Polar regions. This became known, it is stated in said correspondence, through the presence of a letter in the Navy Department’s files, signed by Mr. H. H. Hammer, the American representative of Mr. Amundsen. It is further stated in said correspondence that Mr. Hammer signed a communication saying that the United States was welcome to any discoveries. The Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Denby, it is further stated in the correspondence, acknowledged this offer with thanks and agreed to lend to the expedition Lieutenant Ralph Eugene Davison.
Upon learning about the correspondence published by the Rochester Herald, Mr. Roald Amundsen has informed the Minister of Foreign Affairs at Christiania that he has in no way given his consent to any annexation of land for the benefit of the United States. I have been instructed by my Government to bring Mr. Amundsen’s statement to the attention of the Government of the United States under reference to said press communication, of which a photostat copy is hereby enclosed.1
In order to avoid any misunderstanding I beg to add that possession of all the land that Mr. Amundsen may discover will, of course, be taken in the name of His Majesty the King of Norway.
I avail myself [etc.]
- Not printed.↩