File No. 5727/49.

The British Ambassador to the Secretary of State.

No. 120.]

Sir: You will doubtless remember that in conversation with me on April 11, you informed me that the administrative concessions made in the commercial agreement between Germany and the United States would be applicable to the imports into America of all countries. I informed His Majesty’s Government of this and they, while fully relying on the statement you made, would be glad, now that the agreement has been published, to have a note from you embodying that assurance, which could be quoted in reply to inquiries in Parliament on the subject. They similarly understand that the provisions in paragraph F of your note to the German ambassador of April 22 apply to chambers of commerce in the United Kingdom as well as those of Germany.

The terms of the amendment to section 7 of the act of June 10, of 1890, inclosed in your note of May 10 to the German ambassador, which the President will recommend Congress to enact, are so framed as to apply to imports from all countries, and His Majesty’s Government assume that it is the intention of the administration to propose them in that general form so that they should apply to imports from the United Kingdom.

I have, etc.,

James Bryce.