Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1943, The British Commonwealth, Eastern Europe, the Far East, Volume III

701.0090/1660a: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Harrison)

Washington, July 6, 1943.

1593. Department desires urgently categoric assurances that all persons referred to in numbered paragraph 5 of Department’s 1333 of June 4 will be embarked in forthcoming exchange and with particular reference to the three persons covered by Department’s 2114 of September 5, 1942⁴⁶ desires urgent confirmation that appropriate Swiss representatives have free access to them in order to provide for their needs and to assist them in arranging their affairs so that they may be ready to embark in the forthcoming exchange.

United States Government is making every effort to arrange for inclusion in forthcoming exchange of those Japanese nationals whose repatriation the Japanese Government has specifically requested from the United States and is according Spanish representatives every facility to ascertain their wishes. In this connection Department would be grateful if Swiss Minister Tokyo would reiterate substance of Department’s 1571 of July 3⁴⁷ and insist upon full reciprocity for Swiss representatives in Far East in ascertaining wishes of Americans for inclusion in forthcoming exchange and in extending them appropriate assistance.⁴⁸

Hull

46. Not printed; it expressed the Department’s desire to receive assurances that Dr. John Leighton Stuart, President of Yenching University, and Dr. Henry S. Houghton and Mr. Trevor Bowen, Acting Director and Controller, respectively, of Peiping Union Medical College, would be embarked on the second exchange vessel (390.1115/4628).
47. Not printed.
48. On July 6, the Secretary of State sent a note to the Spanish Ambassador advising that “Swiss representatives in charge of American interests in the Far East are not being permitted free access to all Americans there to ascertain their wishes with respect to embarkation in the forthcoming exchange and to assist them in making necessary arrangements in that connection” and requesting the Spanish Government urgently to confirm to the Japanese Government that Spanish representatives in the United States were granted free access to all Japanese nationals here (703.5494/92a).