, 1916-05-31


Stale denouncing Interference with neutral
mails has notified Great Britain and France
that it can no longer tolerate the wrongs
which American citizens have suffered and
continue to suffer til ough the lawless
practice those Governments have indulged
in, and hat only a radical change in policy
restoring The United States TO its full rights
as a neutral Power will be satisfactory. This
notification is given in the latest American
communication to the two Governments, the
text of which was made public by the State
Department tonight. The time I'D which
the change must be effected is pot specified,
but the United States expects prompt action.
The text of the communication addressed TO
the British and French Ambassadors, to
whom ii was delivered on Wednesday, is as
follows:- Department Of State, Wa hington.
May "a h.-ExcelIency, | have the honour TO
Rckno Wedge receipt of your Excelienry's
Note of April Sd last, transmitting a memo
randum dated February 18Th. 1916 and COM
municated in substance to the American
Ambassador in London on February 20th.,
in which are stated the contentious OF the
British and French Governments III regard
to the right to detain and examine
purcell and letter mails Gu route by
sea between the United States md EuSope.
After a discussion Of the mats for tie use of
tie transmission of pprcels and of the llinlta-
tions to be placed Oh "inviolable mail the
joint memorandum OF February 18Th closes
with the following assertions 81. mat
from the standpoint Ct their right OF vista
ton aud eventual arr est and seizure mer-
chandise shipped in post parcels need not
aud shall not be treated otherwise than MGR
chandise shipped in any other manner. 2,
That the inyiolabllity of postal correspon-
dence stipulated by the eleventh Convention
of the Hague of 1907 does not ia any way
affect the right Of the Allied governments
to visit, aud, il occasion arises, arrest and
seize merchandise bidder in the Wrappers,
envelopes or letters contained IN the mail
bags. 3. That true to their engagements
and respectful of genuine correspondence,
the Allied Governments will continue fer
the present to refrain on the high seas
correspondence, letters or dispatches, and
will ensure their speediest possible trans
mission as soon as the sincerity of their
character shall hive been asceltaIned
In reply, the Government of the United States
desires to state that it does not consider
that the Postal Union Convention of 1906
necessarily applies to the interferences by
the British and French Governments with
the overseas transportation of mails of which
the Government of The United States COM
plains Furthermore, the Allied Powers seem
E
to have overlooked the admission OF the Gov
eminent Of the United States that post par
cells may be treated as merchandise subject
to the exercise of belIigsrent rights as recog-
nized by international Law, but the Govern
ment of the United States does not Admit
that such parcels are subject to the exercise of
the rights of police super vision, visitation and
eventual seizure, which belongs to belligereuts
as to all cargoes on the high seas as(asseried
in the Joint Note undel acknowledgement.
1t is noted with satisfaction that the British
and French Governments do not claim, and
in the opinion of this Government properly
do not claim that their so-called "blCckade"
measures are sufficient grounds upon which
TO base a right to interfere with all classes
of nail matter in transit to or from the
Central Powers. On the contrary, their con-
tention appears to be that as genuine cor
respondence is under conventional stlpula-
ton 'invioDable" mail matter of other classes
is subject to detention and examination.
While the Government of the United States
agrees that genuine correspondence" is
inviolable it does not admit that belligerents
may search other private sea borne mails for
any other purpose than to discover whether
they contain articles of enemy ownership
carried on befligerent vessels. of contraband
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