A Consular Report from Bordeaux

business at their Foreign Service posts (embassies, legations, consulates general, consulates, and commercial and consular agencies), these representatives accumulated office files. In the 1820's and 1830's the Department of State became increasingly insistent that a representative on retirement, recall, or transfer leave his files behind to form part of the post's archives. Large quantities of such files through the calendar year 1935 have been in recent years transferred from the posts to the National Archives. They are in general available for research purposes through December 31, 1929. Some idea of the scope and content of these records may be obtained from the newly revised List of Foreign Service Post Records in the National Archives (Washington: 1958). Among the records transferred are the earlier ones (before 1936) of the American Embassy in Paris. They include, as the writer has mentioned elsewhere, a long series of Letters from Consuls. The letter printed below, from Consul Davisson in Bordeaux to Minister Dayton in Paris, is taken from it. A copy of the Minister's reply, also reproduced here, is found in the series of Miscellaneous Letters Sent. These

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