[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.
10673 572
[B]
OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[9313]
No. 1.
[March 22.]
SECTION 1.
Sir,
Sir Edward Grey to Herr von Kühlmann.
Foreign Office, March 22, 1911. WITH reference to Count Metternich's communication of the 13th instant, I have much pleasure in forwarding, for the information of the Imperial German Government, a copy of a note which I addressed on the 31st January last to the Netherlands Minister in reply to an enquiry as to whether His Majesty's Government still made their consent to participate in the proposed Opium Conference, to be held this summer at The Hague, conditional upon an assurance from the Governments of the Powers concerned that they were prepared to adopt severe measures with a view to prohibiting the trade in, and manufacture of, morphia and cocaine in their respective countries. trust that this note will make the views and intentions of this Government clear in regard to the treatment which they consider should be accorded to the said drugs at the coming conference.
I should perhaps add that His Majesty's Government are still of opinion that it would be useless to convene a conference at all unless the participating Powers are agreed in principle as to the necessity for placing effective restrictions on the manu- facture, sale, and distribution of morphia and cocaine, so as to enable Eastern countries which place restrictions on the opium habit to check contraband importations of these drugs.
His Majesty's Government have not, so far, received any formal application to agree to the 1st July for the date of meeting of the conference, and though they would not raise objections to that date, it is doubtful whether adequate particulars respecting the morphia and cocaine trade in this country will be available by then.
I have, &c.
* To Baron Gericke, January 31, 1911.
[1930 y-1]
2.
E. GREY.
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