File No. 763.72113/448
The French Ambassador ( Jusserand) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 25.]
Mr. Secretary of State: Under date of the 10th of this month, the Minister of Belgium in compliance with instructions he had received and in accordance with an agreement reached with the English and French Governments, brought to Your Excellency’s notice the measures decided on in Paris on October 9 last, with a view to protecting the property and interests of the inhabitants of territory invaded by the Germans. Those measures were made indispensable by the system of spoliation and destruction applied with unexampled brutality by the Germans, especially in Belgium and northern France.
By order of my Government and adverting to the remarks I have already made orally on the subject at the Department of State I have the honor to express to Your Excellency my unqualified support of the proposition laid before you by Monsieur de Cartier.
This is a grave and urgent matter; it commands the attention of all the Allied Governments. If adequate measures taken in common accord are lacking there can be no other result than incitement for an enemy to keep on robbing and destroying.
My Government would therefore attach very great importance to having that of the United States join us and insure the effectiveness of the contemplated measures by taking its part therein.
It is hardly necessary for me to point out that the proposed measures are as conformable to the law of nations as our enemy’s acts are antagonistic to the same law. We do not propose to confiscate but to sequestrate and ultimately return the property subject to the condition that our nationals will be again put in possession of that which belongs to them.
I should be very glad if Your Excellency could enable me at the earliest possible date to report your views to my Government particularly [Page 279] if they should, as I hope they will, coincide with those which I hereby have the honor to commend to your attention.1
Be pleased to accept [etc.]
- Memorandum of the Assistant Secretary of State (Phillips), Feb. 15, 1918, states: “I told De Laboulaye [Second Secretary of the French Embassy] that the Belgian Minister has asked me in case of a decision in the negative not to reply to the Belgian note, consequently we thought it was better not to reply to the French Ambassador’s note. Mr. de Laboulaye agreed that it was the best course under the circumstances.” (File No. 763.72113/647.)↩