341.622A/271a
The Secretary of State to President Wilson
My Dear Mr. President: You will recall that I spoke to you about two communications to the British Government which were in the course of preparation in regard to the unwarranted and summary seizure and removal at sea of seamen, officers, and others from American vessels by British cruisers, and that you stated that you desired to see these communications before they were forwarded to London. I therefore enclose copies of these notes for your consideration.
The enclosure marked “A” is the proposed communication on the China case,14 which, as you will perceive, has been settled by the release of the persons seized, although settled unsatisfactorily as to the principle involved. This communication is merely a review of the correspondence which has been exchanged in this case, for the purpose of clearing up certain misapprehensions under which Lord Grey appears to have been laboring in regard to the position of the Government of the United States, and to set forth also for the record the inconsistent grounds advanced by the British Government for the seizure of the men on the China, in order that this Government might not, if these cases should go to arbitration, be placed in the light of having acquiesced in the British views. I do not think there is anything new in the enclosure marked “A.”
The enclosure marked “B” is a proposed communication to the British Government in regard to cases of the removal of seamen and others from American vessels on the high seas which have occurred since the case of the China.15 It is an attempt to set forth without prejudice the past practice of the American and British Governments in this matter, with a view to showing that what Great Britain is now doing in this respect is without warrant in practice or law and has been in the past regarded by her and by us as a most serious offence. Enclosure “B”, therefore, is largely historical, with the exception of the last few pages.
I desire to call your particular attention to the last paragraph of the covering instruction of enclosure “B”, in which Mr. Page is informed that this Government has in mind a proposal to arbitrate this controversy after the war, on the condition that the men already seized are released and no other seizures are made during the continuance of the war. As these seizures are a great annoyance to American ship-owners, besides being an affront to the American flag, [Page 328] and without any compensating military advantage to the Allies, it seems to me that this proposal is fair and ought to be acceptable to Great Britain.
I hesitate to send you these long communications at the present time, when you are so fully engaged, as I know, upon matters which have accumulated and upon your annual message, but I am impelled to do so by the pressure under which the Department suffers from the continuous inquiries by Congressmen, ship-owners, and seamen in regard to the pending cases, the rights of American seamen, and the attitude of the British Government. I am also moved to send you these now by the further fact that another case similar to those set forth in enclosure “B” has recently arisen, and if I do not mistake the character of the searches of American vessels at sea for German subjects, other cases are likely to arise at any moment. For these reasons, and on account of the particularly annoying and unnecessary nature of these seizures, I deem it very important that these communications should be forwarded to London as soon as possible.
Faithfully yours,
- For text of this communication as sent, see ibid., p. 662.↩
- For text of this communication as sent, see ibid., p. 667.↩