[Enclosure 1-Translation] The Acting President of the Spanish Military Directorate, Ministry of State (Magaz) to the American Ambassador (Moore) No. 53 MADRID, 2 May, 1925. EXCELLENCY: As a result of the conversations had regarding the commercial arrangement between Spain and the United States, I have the honor to inform Your Excellency that the Government of His Majesty is willing that the agreement reached in this respect by the exchange of Notes of April 26, 1924,11 remain in force until May 5, 1926, instead of until May 5, 1925; it being understood that if at least three months before May 5, 1926, the said arrangement be not denounced by either of the Contracting Parties, it shall continue in force indefinitely thereafter and until three months have elapsed, counting from the day of its denouncement by either of the Contracting Parties. In view of the foregoing, the Government of His Majesty will consider that the agreement has been effected by the exchange of the present Note and that which Your Excellency will be kind enough to address to me expressing your conformity thereto. I avail myself [etc.] EL MARQUES DE MAGAZ [Enclosure 2] The American Ambassador (Moore) to the President of the Spanish Military Directorate, Ministry of State (Estella) No. 313 MADRID, 2 May, 1925. EXCELLENCY: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of the courteous Note of Your Excellency's Government, No. 53 of May 2, 1925, in which I am informed that the Government of His Majesty is willing that the agreement reached in respect of the commercial arrangement between the United States and Spain by the exchange of Notes of April 26, 1924, remain in force until May 5, 1926, instead of until May 5, 1925; and that it is understood that if at least three months before May 5, 1926, the said arrangement be not denounced by either of the Contracting Parties it shall continue in force indefinitely thereafter and until three months have elapsed counting from the date of its denouncement by either of the Contracting Parties. On behalf of my Government, I accept the proposal, as outlined in the Note under acknowledgement, and I consider that the agreement has been effected by the exchange of this Note and Note No. 53 of Your Excellency's Government. Accept [etc.] ALEXANDER P. MOORE "Foreign Relations, 1924, vol. I, p. 688. PROTESTS BY SPAIN AGAINST AMERICAN EMBARGO ON SPANISH ORANGES 811.612 Oranges/-: Telegram Spain The Ambassador in Spain (Moore) to the Secretary of State MADRID, December 9, 1925-11 p. m. 76. Has the Department of Agriculture placed an embargo on Spanish oranges? An immediate answer is vital to every American business interest in Spain. MOORE 811.612Oranges/-: Telegram Spain The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Spain (Moore) WASHINGTON, December 12, 1925—3 p. m. 75. Your 75 [76], December 9, 11 p. m. Permits were formerly granted for entry to this country of Spanish oranges under the “general" clause on page 2 of amendment 4 of Plant Quarantine 56,1 conditional upon the presentation of evidence satisfactory to the Department of Agriculture that such fruits were not attacked in the country of origin by injurious insects, including fruit flies and melon flies. However, last year it was found that Spanish oranges were in fact quite heavily infested with the Mediterranean fruit fly and in consequence further permits were refused and the importers were notified accordingly. The Department of Agriculture states that the importations under permit were very trivial amounting to a few shipments of Seville oranges per year for the use of two small marmalade factories near New York and that practically none of the principal crop of Spanish oranges grown about Valencia ever came to this country even when importation was unrestricted. [Paraphrase.] The concluding sentence of your telegram seems to indicate that the Spanish Government may have under consideration steps which might prove harmful to American interests in Spain as a method of influencing the American Government's attitude regarding Plant Quarantine 56, especially in connection with the importation of Almerian grapes. If this proves to be the case, you should "An embargo on the importation of oranges, grapes, and other fruits from regions where the Mediterranean fruit fly was present (including the Spanish province of Almeria), was laid by the Federal Horticultural Board in 1923 in Plant Quarantine No. 56. Amendment 4 was issued Feb. 6, 1925. report the attitude of the Spanish Government and the character of the steps proposed. [End paraphrase.] KELLOGG 811.612 Oranges/Spain The Spanish Ambassador (Riaño) to the Secretary of State [Translation 13] WASHINGTON, December 12, 1925. MR. SECRETARY: In compliance with instructions just received from the Government of His Majesty, I have the honor to tell Your Excellency of the unpleasant surprise and deep regret with which my Government has heard of the decision of the Department of Agriculture of the United States to include the oranges of Spanish origin in. the prohibition already declared against the Almeria grapes on sanitary grounds. I am also instructed to represent to Your Excellency that the measures taken by the growers against the parasites which have caused the prohibition are serious and effective, as may have been found by the official investigation commissions sent to Spain, and that the exclusion from the United States does injury to the Spanish orange not only on account of the market in this country but also the good name of the merchandise in the other markets; and the Government of His Majesty understands that the application of such measures is not in keeping with the spirit of benevolence on the part of Spain with regard to the imports of iron, machinery, and automobiles from the United States, nor the interest personally evinced by the President of the Council of Ministers of Spain in intervening in favor of American petroleum, notwithstanding the commercial balance which is very much against us. The Spanish Government regards this as a matter of capital importance on account of the effect it works on national economics outside of the consideration of the duties by themselves, as it brings discredit on the Spanish fruits that enjoy world-wide fame. I am also under instructions to declare to Your Excellency that the Government of His Majesty would be very much grieved if it were put in the position of adopting measures to meet adequately an economic and sanitary policy that is very unfavorable to the point of seeming unfriendly to Spain, which has given so much evidence of its sincere desire for cordial relations and joint interests with the United States. 28 File translation revised. Begging Your Excellency to give this matter your best attention and trusting in your ever friendly and valuable mediation, I avail myself [etc.] JUAN RIAÑO 811.612 Oranges/-: Telegram Spain The Ambassador in Spain (Moore) to the Secretary of State MADRID, December 13, 1925—1 p. m. 78. Department's 75, December 12, 3 p. m. My telegram No. 75 [76] of December 9, 11 a. m. [p. m.] was prompted by the following personal letter, which I received from General Primo de Rivera, December 9th: "My dear friend: With surprise and extreme regret I learn that the Department of Agriculture of the United States of North America has decided to extend to the Spanish orange the embargo it has established on Almeria grapes for reasons of health. It is not necessary to record all the measures taken against field parasites by the Almerian cultivators nor the favorable findings in their behalf resulting from the two visits of the North American officials sent over. The new regulation is so depreciatory to a Spanish product of world-wide renown, and one cultivated with such care as to render it preferable to the same product of competing countries, that I neither can nor should permit this action to pass unnoticed, calling the attention of the United States to the measures we will be forced to take in consonance therewith, although much to our regret and only as an obligatory response to an economic policy manifestly hardly favorable to Spain. And this is so much the more regrettable since our oranges are not sent to America, it being evident therefore to your sagacious intelligence that the decision in question tends to discredit the Spanish Mediterranean orange in all the markets it commands at present, thus favoring international competition of a commercial order the details of which it is not necessary to state at this time nor the trend of the decision reached by your Department of Agriculture, and which I truly lament. It is of further interest in the case to note that our commercial balance with the United States is extremely unfavorable to us, and, notwithstanding this, the Spanish Government not only interposes no impediment but facilitates economic interchange as far as possible, as is plainly demonstrated by the increase that has taken place in a short time of imports of American iron wares, machinery, and automobiles, while [at] the same time we observe how the figures of our exports to your country decrease daily, more especially as regards certain items such as grapes, canned sardines, wines, etc., which are practically the basis of our foreign trade with North America. I wish, Mr. Ambassador, that you would meditate upon the facts stated herein and especially the differences in crowns [sic] so that you, so firm a friend of Spain and always so desirous of helping her, may realize the transcendent importance to our national economic situation of the measures decided upon, which, while ostensibly apart from the tariff system and outside the sphere thereof, affect the production of the country injured much more than tariff rates themselves however unfavorable they may be. For this reason and hoping for your valuable intervention to promote swiftly and kindly the just claim of Spain. Your very good friend, (Signed) Marquis of Estella." Postscript in Primo de Rivera's own hand: "You are aware of my recent intervention in favor of American petroleum and my entire good will towards your country and will understand my sorrow at the attitude of your Government at this time when everything should tend [to] unite us in order to appear before America as bound by the same interests." MOORE 811.612 Oranges/-: Telegram Spain The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Spain (Moore) WASHINGTON, December 19, 1925-5 p. m. 78. An appeal to the people of the United States against the embargo on Almerian grapes and Spanish oranges appeared in the New York Times of December 18 under the name of Primo de Rivera.14 Please advise the Department whether Primo de Rivera actually made this statement, and if so, report the circumstances under which it was issued. In particular, state whether at the time of its issuance the Premier had received a reply in the sense of the Department's 75, December 12, 3 p. m., to his letter addressed to Ambassador Moore quoted in your 78, December 13, 1 p. m. [Paraphrase.] The motives of the Spanish Government in raising the matter of the embargo on Spanish oranges at this time is not wholly understood by this Department, as the embargo has been in force for 8 months without protest, nor is it understood why Primo de Rivera should have issued a public statement before any answer had been given to the formal protest of the Spanish Ambassador at Washington dated December 12. Also, please comment on the final paragraph of the Department's telegram No. 75 of December 12, 3 p. m. [End paraphrase.] KELLOGG 24 Infra. |