711.60 f 2/19a: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Czechoslovakia (Gittings)

[Paraphrase]

8. Reference is made to the Department’s instruction No. 131 of August 3, 1923, and to the Legation’s telegram 39 of August 30, 1923, 7 p.m.,2 and to the Legation’s despatch No. 1136 of November 12, 1926.3

The American Government would be glad to enter at this time upon the negotiation of a treaty of amity, commerce and consular relations with Czechoslovakia. This Government strongly believes that a permanent treaty should be concluded. You are directed to ascertain and inform the Department by cable whether the Czechoslovakian Government would now enter upon negotiations for a treaty of this kind, which would supersede the exchange of notes of December 5, 1924.4 Should it be agreeable to the Czechoslovakian Government to commence negotiations in the near future, instructions together with a draft of treaty will be forwarded to the Legation at once.

The Department’s delay in proposing to undertake negotiations has been caused by its desire to formulate a uniform most-favored-nation clause to deal with indirect trade, and systems of licenses and of quotas or rations in negotiations with several countries. Such a provision as has been formulated for use in future treaties is based upon the second paragraph of the exchange of notes between the United States and Czechoslovakia of October 29, 1923.5 The remainder of the draft would be substantially similar to the treaty between the United States and Hungary (Treaty Series No. 748).6

Kellogg