Mr. Gresham to Mr. Terrell.
Washington, August 9, 1893.
Sir: I have received your dispatch No. 16, of the 22d ultimo, in the matter of request of Jacob Toprahanian for the use of your good [Page 667] offices to obtain the departure of his wife from Turkey to join him in the United States.
The Department knows of no such law as that referred to by Mr. Toprahanian, compelling the Turkish authorities to permit the wife of a former subject to join her husband upon application to that end.
You will see by reference to the Department’s instruction No. 31, of February 9, 1893, and by Mr. Thompson’s reply of the 28th of that month, No. 39, that he granted a passport to Mrs. Michaelian who desired to join her husband in the United States.
It is not contemplated that your good offices shall extend that far. But where a naturalized citizen of the United States makes provision for the transit of his family your application to the Turkish Government in behalf of their emigration may have your kindly support as in Mr. Rusdigian’s case.
The citizenship of the man and his residence in the United States gives him the right to ask the Department’s intervention in such case, and where he makes proper provision for the departure of his family you may properly do whatever you consistently can to further the departure of the family and to support Mrs. Toprahanian’s application for permission to emigrate, which should conform to the usual requirements.
I am, etc.,