File No. 659.119/93
[Enclosure 1]
The Acting Chairman of the War Trade
Board (
Taylor) to the Secretary of the British Embassy (
Percy)
Washington,
October 23,
1917.
My Dear Lord
Eustace: We are not a little embarrassed
in our negotiations with Denmark by the fact that the Danish
Government makes the statement that the British representatives
in Denmark have stated to them that the non-shipment of
petroleum is not the fault of the British. They are approaching
a crisis in their scarcity
[Page 977]
in petroleum, and on the basis of the
alleged statement of the British representatives, the Danish
Government is throwing the entire responsibility upon the United
States.
We have advices that indicate that Germany is taking advantage of
the present situation and that all limitations on the
exportation of cattle, for example, have been removed. An export
tax is being collected only on the first seven thousand per
week.
Yours faithfully,
[Enclosure 2]
The Secretary of the British Embassy
(
Percy) to the Acting Chairman of the War Trade Board
(
Taylor)
Washington,
October 24,
1917.
Dear Doctor Taylor: Your letter of October 23 about
Denmark comes very opportunely, because we have just received a
telegram from our Minister at Copenhagen through the Foreign
Office, of which I give you a paraphrase below.
Mr. Anderson says that telegrams received by the
Danish Government from the Danish mission in connection with
negotiations at Washington had created an unfortunate
impression, as they indicated that the United States were
throwing blame on Great Britain for the tightening of the
blockade.
On the other hand, all the blame for this was thrown on the
United States in a speech made by Mr.
Foss at a recent public
meeting.
I received a remonstrance from the First Secretary of the
American Legation here recently. He was under the impression
that we were throwing the responsibility on the United
States. Of course, I told him that he was mistaken, and that
the line I had taken in speaking to the Minister for Foreign
Affairs and others was that these questions were being now
discussed between the Allies, who would formulate their
policy together.
It seems to me that the Danes are endeavouring to sow
dissension between our two Governments.
The same kind of thing is happening elsewhere. For instance, Mr.
McCormick spoke to me the other day about
reports he had received from Holland, that we were throwing the
blame on the United States. Almost simultaneously we had a
telegram from The Hague saying that the impression was being
disseminated in Holland that the United States had taken their
measures at our instigation.
I have not thought it worth while to trouble you with these
reports, but it is perfectly evident that all these neutrals are
trying to play us off against each other, and I do hope that we
shall not be misled by their efforts.
[Page 978]
There is, of course, no smoke without some fire, and when these
neutrals come to us, as they sometimes do, asking us to
represent to you that your action is resulting in the tearing up
of compromise agreements made between us and the neutrals in the
past, our representatives are in rather a dilemma what to say.
They must avoid giving the impression that your policy is not a
completely independent one, taken on the basis of your own
sovereignty over your own exports, and they must equally avoid
appearing to dissociate themselves from what you are doing. The
difficulty is considerably increased by the frequent warnings
given to me that opinions expressed in our discussions at the
board are not to be taken as anything but informal and
unofficial, so that we really have no statement from you with
which we can express our agreement when we talk to neutrals.
We shall be glad of any line you can give us as to the exact
reply which you would like given in such cases. I am not even
sure that the statement which our Minister at Copenhagen says he
has made to the Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs does not go
further in the direction of associating ourselves with you than
is agreeable to the Government of the United States.
Yours very truly,
[No signature indicated]
