Mr. Gresham to Mr. McDonald.
Washington, November 11, 1893.
Sir: I have received your No. 21 of 25th September last and the copy therewith of a memorandum of the Persian foreign office on the subject “of Persian subjects transferring their claims” to subjects of other powers in order that the claims may be recovered through the legation of the transferees. I have to say with reference thereto that this Government will never recognize an assignment of a claim against a foreign country made by a citizen or subject of that country to a citizen of this for the purpose of invoking diplomatic aid in the recovery thereof. Still less will it undertake to aid in the recovery of claims against subjects of foreign countries which originally accrued in favor of their fellow-subjects and have been assigned by the latter to American citizens. Your action is therefore approved.
I am, etc.,