James R. Harris letter to Rudolf Diesel - November 5, 1918
Transcript
[November] 5th, 1919 Mr. Rudolf Diesel, Ernastr. 7., Essen, Germany. My dear Mr. Diesel: Upon receipt of your letter of October 1st, addressed to Mr. August A. Busch, he called me to his office and after discussing the proposed purchase of your stock in the Busch-Sulzer Bros.-Diesel Engine Company, he asked me to answer your letter. Mr. Busch decided that he was not in position personally to buy your stock at this time, but consented to his son-in-law, Mr. C. Drummond Jones, and me buying your stock if you wished to sell same to us. I then took the matter up with our attorneys to find out if we could legally purchase your stock while our country is still nominally at war with Germany, and I have just received our attorneys' opinion, advising we could not legally purchase the stock at this time. The Trading with the Enemy Act makes it a punishable offense for a citizen of the United States to trade with an alien enemy contrary to the provisions of the Act, and while the War Trade Board
Transcript
[page 2] sell and upon receipt of your cable reply stating simply
Details
| Title | James R. Harris letter to Rudolf Diesel - November 5, 1918 |
| Creator | Harris, James R. |
| Source | Harris, James R. Letter to Rudolf Diesel. 05 November 1918. Busch-Sulzer Collection. Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin. |
| Description | Letter from James R. Harris, the Vice President and General Manager of the Busch-Sulzer Brothers Diesel Engine Company to Rudolf Diesel. Harris explained that due to the Trading with the Enemy Act, the Busch-Sulzer company including himself could not purchase Diesel's stock. This law gave the President the power to oversee or restrict any and all trade between the U.S. and its enemies in times of war. Since Diesel was a German citizen, it was illegal to conduct business with him. |
| Subject LCSH | Diesel engine; Submarine boats; Busch-Sulzer brothers Diesel engine company; Trading with the Enemy Act |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I; Submarine engine |
| Contributing Institution | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the Wisconsin Historical Society: 608-264-6535 |
| Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. |
| Date Original | November 5, 1918 |
| Language | English |