CO129-491 - Public Offices - 1925 — Page 6

5

terms of your note of May 18th that the duties assigned

to the officials, whom it is proposed to attach to your

staff as Customs Attachés, are of a diplomatic character

or are connected with, or necessary to, the discharge

of the diplomatic functions attaching to the position of

an ambassador. The duties assigned to them appear to

arise rather from the domestic legislation of the United

States and to be of a purely administrative and fiscal

character. I must point out that to grant the request

of your government would imply an unlimited extension of

diplomatic functions and immunities.

3. For this reason alone His Majesty's Government

would find themselves reluctantly compelled to decline

But there

the request of the United States Government.

are certain aspects of the duties of the customs agents to which, as you are aware, His Majesty's Government have felt bound to take strong exception. I regret that the proposed new procedure, particulars of which were semi-

officially communicated to this department by your embassy on May 18th, has not removed the objections which my government entertain to these activites, and for this reason also they are unable to recognise the officers in

question as members of your diplomatic staff,

4. On this aspect of the matter I shall have the honour to address to you a separate communication, setting

out in detail on the one hand the attitude of His Majesty's Government towards certain types of enquiry carried out by the agents of the Customs Division of the United States Treasury Department in this country, and on

the