711.415 Traders/40
The British Ambassador (Lindsay) to the Secretary of State
No. 351
Washington, October 4,
1933.
Sir: I have the honour to refer to the Note which Mr. Stimson addressed to Mr. Osborne on the 18th October, 1932 enclosing the draft of a projected convention covering the admission of Australian business men into the United States.
- 2.
- The draft in question included, as will be recalled, an article (Article III) relating to customs duties and freight charges; and I am now instructed by His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to submit on behalf of His Majesty’s Government in the Commonwealth of Australia the following observations thereon.
- 3.
- His Majesty’s Government in the Commonwealth are disposed to consider, and trust that the United States Government will agree, that the convention should be confined to the subject of the entry of Australian citizens into the United States. The negotiations on this subject were, the Australian Government venture to point out, initiated because they felt that a distinct injustice was being done to Australian business men. Business men from the United Kingdom, the Irish Free State and Canada can freely enter and remain in the United States; and United States business men are free to come and reside and carry on their occupations in Australia; but Australian business men when they wish to do the same thing in the United States may, by contrast, only remain here under the system of permits; and the grant of such permits is temporary.
- 4.
- In these circumstances the Australian Government feel entitled first to express the strongest hope that the United States Government may extend forthwith to His Majesty’s subjects in Australia the same privileges in the United States as those enjoyed by other British subjects and by United States citizens in Australia itself; and, secondly, to suggest that the points covered by Article III of Mr. Stimson’s draft convention would more properly form a subject for separate negotiations.
- 5.
- I have the honour accordingly to transmit for the consideration of the United States the revised draft convention of which a copy is enclosed herewith.4 It will be observed that it comprises four articles which correspond to Articles I, II, IV and V of Mr. Stimson’s draft. Article I differs slightly from Article I of Mr. Stimson’s draft inasmuch as it extends the benefits of the convention not only to “His Majesty’s subjects of Australian birth or parentage” but to any of His Majesty’s subjects ordinarily resident in the Commonwealth of Australia. Article II is identical with Article II of Mr. Stimson’s draft except that the word “citizens” is substituted for the word “nationals”. Articles III and IV are practically identical with Articles IV and V of Mr. Stimson’s draft except that the territories to which the provisions of the convention shall be applicable are defined as on the one hand “the Commonwealth of Australia and all territories under the authority of the Commonwealth” and, on the other hand, “all territories under the sovereignty or authority of the United States of America other than the Panama Canal Zone”.
- 6.
- His Majesty’s Government in the Commonwealth of Australia would gladly conclude a convention on the lines of the enclosed draft, and earnestly trust that the United States Government will find themselves able to concur in its terms.
I have [etc.]
R. C. Lindsay
- Not printed.↩