CO129-373 - Public Offices - 1910 — Page 460

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]

OPIUM.

CONFIDENTIAL.

CO 37665

Rco

[December 1.]

SECTION 1,

[42866]

Sir,

Rrat 9 DEC 10

No. 1.

Sir Edward Grey to M. van der Goes.

Foreign Office, December 1, 1910. WITH reference to your note of the 5th ultimo asking whether the 30th May, 1911, would suit His Majesty's Government as the date for the opening of the Opium Conference at The Hague, I have the honour to inform you that an enquiry was addressed to the United States Embassy some weeks ago as to whether steps had been taken to obtain satisfactory assurances from the other participating Powers that the conference should be empowered to deal thoroughly and completely with the question of restricting the manufacture, sale, and distribution of morphia, and with the allied question of cocaine; the receipt of such assurances being, in the opinion of His Majesty's Government, a necessary condition of their participation in the conference.

A reply has now been received to the effect that the Netherlands Government have notified the United States Government that they will issue a supplementary note to the interested Powers embodying the British proposals.

Until the replies to this communication have been received from the Powers it would appear to His Majesty's Government to be premature to agree to any fixed date for the opening of the conference.

[1804 a-1

-1]

I am, &c.

E. GREY.

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