662.11241/25
The Ambassador in Germany (Schurman) to the Secretary of
State
Berlin, May 11,
1928.
[Received May 28.]
No. 3516Sir: With reference to the Department’s
instruction No. 1812 of November 21, 1927,68 I have the honor to enclose herewith, in copy
and translation, a self-explanatory note from the Foreign Office on the
subject of the extension of the free-entry privilege on a reciprocal
basis to the non-commissioned personnel of this Embassy and to the
German Embassy at Washington.
As will be seen, the Foreign Office states that exemption from duty to
the office and chancery personnel of this Embassy has already been
granted by the German Government; and a copy of the Reichszollblatt as transmitted with the aforementioned note is
likewise enclosed.68 It
will, however, be seen that the note states that the extension of free
entry cannot be granted to domestic servants.
I have [etc.]
[Enclosure—Translation]
The German Ministry for
Foreign Affairs to the American
Embassy
No. ID 1173 Ang. I.
Note Verbale
The Foreign Office has the honor to advise the Embassy of the United
States of America as follows in reply to its Note Verbale No. 1789
of December 14, 1927:
The question of extending exemption from duty to the personnel of the
Embassy has been discussed with the Finance Ministry of the Reich.
In consideration of the offer of reciprocity made by the Government
[Page 933]
of the United States,
the German Government is prepared, as already indicated in its Note
Verbale of August 31, 1927—I D 438569—to extend exemption from duty to the office and
chancery personnel of the Embassy, to take effect at once. The
provisions of execution of the ordinance of February 6, 1926,
governing exemption from duty and taxes of Embassy goods have
therefore been altered accordingly and the customs offices provided
with instructions by means of publication of the provisions in the
Reichszollblatt. Three copies of Reichszollblatt No. 15, page 95 of 1928 are
herewith enclosed.69
With regard to exemption from duty for domestic servants (servants
and governesses), it is respectfully remarked that the extension of
free entry to such persons is unfortunately not possible in
accordance with the above-mentioned ordinance of February 6,
1926.
