File No. 711.5914/170
The Danish Minister to the Secretary of State
Washington, October 19, 1916.
Dear Mr. Secretary of State: By a letter of October 2nd I advised you of the proceedings in Denmark by which the Royal Government expects to obtain the necessary legislative consent to our treaty of August 4th, 1916 regarding the cession of the Danish West Indian Islands to the United States.
I mentioned the Special Commission of the Danish Parliament to which the question of the cession would be submitted, and that 6 weeks had been agreed upon as the time limit within which this Commission should complete its work.
I have yesterday received a cablegram from the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs in which he says that it has now been found necessary to extend the said time limit until the 25th of next month, and that the intended plebiscite can thereupon be held December 13th and 14th, so that the whole question can be settled before Christmas.
The reason for this extension of time is, so the Minister states, that the Commission desires to hear the Delegates from the islands, of whose mission I informed you by my letter of October 8th, and that these Delegates could not arrive in Copenhagen within the time at first fixed.
I may add that, as far as I have learned, these Delegates who were to sail from St. Thomas on October 10th, were delayed by the destructive hurricane which, as you know, struck the islands with disastrous results on October 9th.
Believe me, dear Mr. Lansing,