740.00115 Pacific War/2023
The Department of State to the Spanish Embassy
The Department of State acknowledges the receipt of memorandum No. 344, Ex. 112.00 II, dated December 1, 1943, from the Spanish Embassy66 in charge of Japanese interests in the continental United States requesting assistance in making inspection visits to the various places in the United States where Japanese nationals are being held in detention, pointing out that the last visits by its representatives were made last August. The Embassy further states that from all camps requests are being received for another visit by the Embassy’s delegate to examine their present situation and that these requests indicate that the Japanese nationals concerned believe that the Spanish representation is neglecting them.
The Department has been at all times ready to arrange such visits whenever desired by the Embassy, and in this connection reminds the Embassy that twice within the past month the Tule Lake Relocation Center has been visited by a representative of the Embassy accompanied by a representative of the Department of State and that at the end of October the Spanish Consul at Chicago visited the Japanese prisoners of war at Camp McCoy accompanied by a representative of the Department of State.
While the Department of State has been glad to arrange for such visits whenever requested and while representatives of both the Spanish Embassy and of the other neutral Government which has undertaken the protection of Japanese interests in territory under the [Page 948] jurisdiction of the United States enjoy at all times unrestricted access to all places where Japanese nationals are held by the United States, representatives of the Swiss Government, which has undertaken the protection of American interests in Japan and Japanese-occupied territories, are still unable to visit places in Formosa, Manchuria, Malaya, Thailand, the Netherlands Indies, and the Philippine Islands where American prisoners of war and civilian internees are held by the Japanese authorities.
In compliance with the Embassy’s most recent request there are enclosed three tentative schedules67 of trips to be made by its representatives to visit detention stations, internment camps, and relocation centers where Japanese nationals are being held. If it finds these schedules to be satisfactory, the Embassy is requested to notify the Department of State on what dates its representatives will be in a position to meet representatives of the Department at San Francisco, California; McGehee, Arkansas; and Lamar, Colorado.