870.811/45: Telegram
The Commissioner at Berlin (Dresel) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 1—10:47 a.m.]
910. In informal conversation, Minister Simons stated that the presence of Americans on commissions established [here?] was causing embarrassment to the Government. He mentioned especially the arbitrator of river shipping. In his view the appointment was technically invalid since as the United States Government has not accepted the treaty it could take no binding action in pursuance of its provisions. He would under the [other] circumstances have welcomed an American arbitrator but he considered that the formal exercise of authority by Hines was an invasion of German rights.
Von Haniel7 with whom I discussed the matter at length this morning tells me that Minister Seeliger of the Foreign Office left last night for the Rhine in order to confer with Hines and inform him of attitude of the German Government. Seeliger would suggest to Hines that the difficulty might be obviated by making Hines’ decisions operative [if] America ratified the treaty. I told Haniel that the German point of view was, as I understood, contrary to the decision reached at the Council of Ambassadors and approved by our Government and that any reconsideration would have, as I believed, to go through Paris. He said that the question of making a formal protest would be decided later.
Though I received no direct intimation that other commissions were being considered in this connection it is obvious that objection may be made to American connection with other organizations in Germany as for instance the local Reparation Commission. See my 477 May 19, 4 p.m.8