From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Confidential letter about sending a gift to French officials and discussing methods for privately importing a car into France.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 71\4\ scan0003 | |
| Date | 15th December 1924 | |
| 48940 CONFIDENTIAL. To HK{Col. T. Harker - Sales} - Paris From Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}8/LG15.12.24. 49941 We wish to remind you that you will send to the Chief of Police and the Mayor at Chateauroux a suitable Xmas present. We are expecting to take more cars to France after Xmas and therefore desire to keep in their favour. It is possible that the next car we bring to France, we shall want to get it into the country as quietly as possible. We do not wish to send it either through the R.A.C. or the A.A. because in that case we have to divulge particulars and they examine the car. The suggestion is that we should take it over privately and pay the full amount of French duty in bank notes. We should be greatly obliged if you could let us have the necessary particulars of what the formalities are when bringing a car into France under those conditions. CJ. is rather anxious that we should not try any back-door methods because it would be disastrous if we got found out. We should also like to know, in the event of our taking a car to France and paying duty, in what way is the car sealed or marked to prove that the duty has been paid? For instance, as you will imagine, we shall very possibly wish to bring the car back again and modify certain parts and send it out again. contd :- | ||