Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 7, 1909

File No. 21558/5.

Ambassador Straus to the Secretary of State.

[Telegram—Paraphrase.]

American Embassy,
Pera, October 9, 1909.

Mr. Straus says that the Porte claims that as Rizk is a Turkish subject, it can not consent to his extradition and can not ask the Egyptian authorities to extradite him. Says Porte has neither admitted nor strenuously denied validity of treaty of 1874, but admits if it is valid in Turkey it is valid in Egypt. Mr. Straus says he will press the matter further. Adds that according to Ottoman law, a Turkish subject who has committed a crime in a foreign country against another Turkish subject and has not been tried in the foreign country can be tried in Turkey. Says he does not know the Egyptian law on this point.