893.51/3089: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Japan (Bell)
437. In view of possible ambiguity in the last paragraph of proposed note to Belgian Government quoted in Department’s 523 [423] November 12, 6 p.m., Department proposes that the following be substituted for the second paragraph
“In reply I have the honor to inform you that this Government approves of the admission to the Consortium of a Belgian Banking Group on the terms accepted and approved by the American, British, French and Japanese Banking Groups. In approving the application of Belgium to enter the Consortium it is assumed that the Belgian Banking Group understands it is obligated to turn in or to see that there is turned in such concessions or obligations as may properly come within the purview of the Consortium.”
The Department will address a note to the Belgian Embassy here using this text. You may inform Foreign Office that it has been shown to Shidehara. You may also state that this Government understands that the French Government communicated its approval to the Belgian representative at Paris prior to November 18, using the text given in Department’s 523 [423] referred to above, while the British Government is understood to have communicated its approval to the Belgian representative in London on or about November 25, using text of Department’s 523 [423] with the addition of the statement that the terms of participation will be ascertained by the Belgian Group when discussing their entry with the other Groups.