681.003/191
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Bingham)
Sir: Your despatch No. 1504 of June 13, 1935, regarding the modification of the customs regime in the French Zone of Morocco, has been received. The statement attributed to the British Foreign Office to the effect that it would be very much interested to learn anything further which the Embassy might ascertain from Washington and particularly whether the United States Government objected to the French proposal purely on principle or because the French had not given an adequate commercial quid pro quo, has been noted.
In reply to this inquiry it is suggested that you inform the Foreign Office orally and in confidence of the contents of the attached copy of an outline of the note which was presented to the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs on April 6, 1935.84 It is suggested also that you refer to the copy of the Department’s instruction to Paris, No. 669, of December 18, 1934,85 which was enclosed with the Department’s instruction to the Embassy, No. 647, of December 20, 1934,86 and repeat orally to the British the substance of the instruction to Paris through the paragraph ending at the top of page 4.
You are requested to state orally to the Foreign Office that this Government is surprised to note that the British have apprehension that the French Government, having failed in its present negotiations toward the limited modification of the customs regime, might go the whole way and denounce or ignore, as out of date, all of the Moroccan treaties, including the British treaty of 1856. This Government hesitates to believe that France, who has often asserted its strong belief in the sanctity of treaties, in order to obtain a modification of the customs regime in the Protectorate of Morocco, would disregard or ignore the treaty rights of other nations in Morocco. Such procedure would be strangely out of harmony with the current expressions made recently in the high government circles of certain major powers, including France.
You may state also orally that this Government is of the opinion that the retention of full treaty rights in Morocco involving the principle of commercial equality for all, transcends in importance any temporary advantages which may accrue to any power or powers in the trade in a particular commodity or commodities. France entered Morocco and has developed her administration of the Protectorate as [Page 992] the result of solemn agreements with certain other Powers, who also had rights in Morocco. The International Conference of Algeciras of 1906 was called for the purpose of defining the position of the Powers in Morocco. The Act of Algeciras provided that “economic liberty without any inequality” should be maintained in Morocco. That Agreement, in the judgment of this Government, is binding until the signatory Powers agree in concert with France to cancel it.
Very truly yours,