Ambassador Meyer to the Secretary of State .

[Extract.]
No. 464.]

Sir: In further reference to the matter of my No. 369, of December 26 last, I have the honor to inform you that a tentative directory of the American citizens in Russia has been compiled, and under my direction, from information furnished, on request, by the American consular officers throughout the Empire. As the completeness of the directory must necessarily depend on the accuracy and zeal with which the consular officers respond to the request for this information, the lists are of varying value, and only those furnished by the consul [Page 1288] at Moscow (already transmitted to the department) and the vice-consul at Warsaw are of the desired character. On account of the insecurity of the mails at the time when the matter was first broached, two of the letters requesting such lists appear to have gone astray, and there has not yet been time to receive replies from the second request made of the consular officers at Batum and Vladivostok; also the consular agent at Abo, but recently confirmed in his office, has as yet made no report.

Leaving out of consideration these three consular districts, where the American population is probably not considerable, the inquiry would appear to show 283 American citizens in more or less settled residence in Russia. This figure is certainly incomplete. The division is as follows:

St. Petersburg 84
Moscow 107
Riga 33
Odessa 32
Warsaw 22
Wiborg 2
Rostoff-on-Don Helsingfors 1
Novorossisk 283

In this connection a matter has been brought to my attention which I desire to refer to the department for its information and advice. In spite of the police regulation in Russia requiring aliens to possess and exhibit from time to time their national passports, of the 283 American citizens now residing in Russia only 129 are known to this embassy to possess American passports in good order. Of the remainder, 50 appear to be living on passports which have expired, and while it is possible that some of this number have had passports renewed at other embassies or legations many cases are known where Americans continue to satisfy the police regulations with passports which have long since passed the limit of their value. It is also possible that of the 104 whose means of remaining in Russia under the existing police regulations are unknown to the embassy, a considerable number may be residing with passports issued elsewhere than in Russia, the valid duration of which may have expired. In some cases where new passports have been denied applicants it is known to the embassy that these bearers of expired passports continue to employ them and to obtain of the Russian authorities the protection accorded American citizens by virtue thereof.

In addition to this it is worthy of note that there are at least 11 cases on record at this embassy in which passports have been issued with the warning, for cause, that no further passport would be issued to the applicant; but as, under the present system of keeping passport records, this fact can be known only to this embassy, it would be perfectly simple for an applicant so provided with a passport, in no way different from any other, to renew the same an indefinite number of times at other embassies or legations, without the knowledge of this embassy.

As for the matter of expired passports in use in Russia and other cases which arise from time to time where persons claim the privileges [Page 1289] of American citizenship without having discharged the duties thereof, I beg to suggest, if it meet the approval of the department, the embassy be authorized, at its discretion, to request American consular officers in cases of this sort to inform the local police authorities that the passports in possession of such persons are invalid, as they require renewal. In this way the embassy could clear itself of the responsibility for the acts of such persons who for reasons of their own might not desire, after such warning had been given, to regularize their status both in the eyes of the police and to the knowledge of the embassy. I feel sure that much of the question as to the rights of citizenship of applicants to this embassy for assistance or protection, which so often delays and hampers the action of the embassy, might thus be obviated.

I have, etc.,

G. von L. Meyer.