Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1917, Supplement 2, The World War, Volume II
File No. 657.119/74
The British Ambassador ( Spring Rice ) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 29.]
Note
In presenting the three documents agreed between M. Me tin and Lord R. Cecil the British Ambassador desires to make it clear that the general mention in the second document of certain tempéraments in the proposed embargo against Norway means merely, so far as His Majesty’s Government are concerned, that, as already stated in previous communications, His Majesty’s Government must in certain cases continue to facilitate the export to firms in Norway manufacturing munitions for the Allies, of materials absolutely necessary to the execution of Allied orders.
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Memorandum
At the conference held in London on September 17, 1917, the British and French Governments, adhering to the principles formulated by the Government of the United States have decided:
1. To give their full support to the policy of embargo on shipments to neutral countries bordering on the Central Empires as practiced by the United States until the three Governments shall have in [Page 953] common accord determined the amount of imports strictly needed by those countries after they have entirely exhausted their natural resources. Although agreements previously entered into by the British and French Governments do not permit of a general embargo being applied in every case, the general principle which shall hereafter guide their action is that exceptions to the embargo shall not be granted except by way of barter, in exchange for products imperatively needed either for national defence or the revictualing of the Allies or of the territories invaded by the enemy.
Exceptions to the embargo without some return would only be admitted when involving a vital interest recognized by the Allies.
2. To proceed, in accordance with the principles adopted by the American Government, with the immediate determination of the quotas of imports which may be allowed to the countries adjoining Germany in return for the guarantees that they shall furnish to the Allies. Such a determination of restricted quotas is indeed indispensable in order that neutrals may not, for the purpose of securing the benefit of purchases made in other than the Allied countries, claim previous quotas that might not have been denounced.
To that end, the British and French Governments propose to the Government of the United States the immediate institution at London of an Inter-Allied Blockade Committee, composed of representatives of the United States and Allied Governments, working in conjunction with the Inter-Allied Commission of Supplies, and authorized to discuss all the general questions arising from the tightening of the blockade, as well as all the specific applications henceforth devised in common accord.
With a view to pooling the information at the command of the Allied Governments and ensuring its prompt utilization, it would be desirable to provide for the exchange of such information in each one of the three capitals through an Inter-Allied Bureau of Documentation instituted in conjunction with the organization in charge of the blockade.
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Additional Memorandum
The French and English members of the conference held at London in this month of September, after an exchange of their views on the manner of applying the proposition by which their Governments adhere to the policy of the United States, have defined the following measures adopted by them in principle.
- 1.
- In the same way as contracts entered into with the trusts or importing firms of northern countries, the contracts entered into with Switzerland shall be adapted to the blockade policy agreed to [Page 954] by the Allies and, the barter principle being substituted for that of gratuitously supplying the quotas, the French and British Governments will, jointly with that of the United States, demand of Switzerland, in return for the large exports furnished to that country by America, compensation the particulars of which will be determined by immediate communications between the British and French Governments.
- 2.
- Sweden will be placed under a general embargo in order to stop its exports, of iron ore in particular, to the Central Empires. The embargo will be especially strict with respect to lubricating and mineral oils, textile raw materials and manufactured products, tannic extracts, vegetable oils and oil seeds. With a view to an agreement, the Allies will consider the means of buying the Swedish output of iron ore or to offer a compensation for the stoppage or reduction of those products.
- 3.
- The embargo decreed by the United States will be applied to Norway with such mitigations as the supply of explosives and other products for military use demands, until the day when Allies shall jointly find that such a supply is no longer needed to carry on the war.
- 4.
- The embargo will be general and strict on all fodder intended for Denmark as well as on the seeds required for the growing of fodder in Denmark.
- 5.
- Regarding Holland, a separate note has been drawn up.
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Second Additional Memorandum
netherlands
Subject to the approval of their respective Governments, the French and English members of the London conference have, in common accord, adopted the following measures intended to maintain the restrictions on the indirect revictualing of the enemy through adjoining neutral countries, while securing for the people of the invaded parts of France and Belgium all the supplies that have been promised:
- 1.
- It is agreed that supplies intended for the invaded territory in northern France and Belgium shall be regarded as being part and parcel of the revictualing of the Allied countries and it is further agreed that the United States will be requested to adhere to the above-stated principles.
- 2.
- The conference adopts the proposition to offer English coal in return for the placing at the disposal of the C[ommission for] R[elief in] B[elgium], until the close of the war, an equal tonnage in Dutch vessels, as being the best solution of the C. R. B. question.
- 3.
- If, within a period of time to be made known to the Dutch Government, the proposed barter of Dutch tonnage for English coal should not be accepted, all shipments to Holland will be stopped, the measure being understood to be preventive, in accordance with the policy pursued by the United States, pending further negotiations, and not a final general embargo.
- 4.
- Further negotiations may be set on foot on the basis of granting to Holland a quota of grain to be determined by the Allies, and of oil seeds which shall, if required, be used as raw material in the manufacture of margarine. These quotas will be allowed only in return for the discontinuance of shipments of agricultural products to the Central Empires.
- 5.
- Should these further negotiations prove fruitless, the Allies would make the raising of a general and lasting embargo, which would then be enforced, conditional not only on the discontinuance or reduction of Dutch shipments to the Central Empires, but also on the cooperation of Dutch shipping in revictualing the invaded territories as well as in regularly supplying the Allies with the products they have heretofore drawn from the industry of Holland and for which they will supply the needed raw material according to percentages determined in common accord, regardless of such quotas as may have been heretofore established.