711.572/53
The Minister in Norway (Swenson) to
the Secretary of State
Oslo, December 1,
1926.
[Received December 21.]
No. 909Sir: Adverting to the Department’s instruction
No. 289 of July 28, 1926 (File No. 711.572/50) and to this Legation’s
despatch No. 846, dated August 13, 1926,4 with reference to the negotiations for a
Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Consular Rights between the United
States and Norway, I have the honor to transmit herewith for the
information of the Department a translation of a letter from the
Norwegian Undersecretary, in which he encloses, at my request, a
memorandum setting forth some of the Norwegian Government’s objections
to the proposed treaty.
I have [etc.]
[Page 595]
[Enclosure—Translation]
The Norwegian, Under Secretary for Foreign
Affairs (Esmarch) to the American
Minister (Swenson)
Dear Minister Swenson: With reference to
your conversation of the seventeenth instant with Mr.
Morgenstierne,5 I have the pleasure of transmitting herewith for
your information a short memorandum regarding the position of the
Norwegian authorities with respect to the draft of the Treaty of
Friendship, Commerce, and Consular Rights between Norway and the
United States.
Sincerely yours,
[Subenclosure—Translation]
Memorandum
The Foreign Office has received expressions of opinion from most of
the authorities interested with regard to the draft of the proposed
Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Consular Rights between Norway
and the United States. The reason the Department is not yet ready to
inform the Legation in Washington of the Norwegian Government’s
position in regard to the various articles of the draft, is because
the appropriate authorities are extremely loath to agree to certain
provisions contained therein. This applies particularly to Article
XXX, third paragraph, according to which article VII, fifth and
sixth paragraphs, as well as articles IX and XI, could be denounced
after one year upon three months’ notice, whereby the American
Government would be able to apply differential treatment to our
shipping and even levy higher customs duty on goods imported in
Norwegian ships. Article XXX would, moreover, allow the United
States to denounce the provisions regarding the right of Norwegian
ships to domestic treatment with respect to taxes and to most
favored nation treatment with respect to the coasting trade.
The Foreign Office presumably will be able in the near future to
advise the Legation in Washington, which is well acquainted with the
case, of the Norwegian Government’s position regarding the draft of
the Treaty.
