860P.512 Residence/21

The Secretary of State to the Minister in Latvia (Coleman)

No. 671

Sir: The Department refers to your Legation’s despatch No. 6320 of August 1, 1929,10 enclosing copies of the Law governing the entrance of foreigners into Latvia, and with particular reference to the Department’s instruction of February 12, 1929, concerning the Treaty between the United States and Latvia, desires that you bring the matter again to the attention of the Latvian Foreign Office and [Page 273] point out the fact that the Latvian law of March 2, 1907, in the second paragraph provides specifically that “the amount of the tax is based on reciprocity …”.

You will, therefore, communicate with the Foreign Office and express the hope that, as Latvian nationals in the United States are not required to pay a sojourn tax and as the Latvian law contemplates that the sojourn tax in Latvia shall be executed on the basis of reciprocity, the Latvian Government may see its way to arrange for the exemption of American nationals from the sojourn tax.

For your information it may be stated that in the circumstances, it is the Department’s opinion that in any event American nationals should not be compelled to pay any greater tax than the nationals of the nation most favored by Latvia in this particular.

I am [etc.]

For the Secretary of State:
Nelson Trusler Johnson
  1. Not printed.