File No. 763.72111So4/9
The British Ambassador (Spring Rice) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 14.]
Sir: I have the honour to bring to your notice certain points which have arisen in connection with the return to this country of British subjects, ordinarily resident in the United States, who have been serving with the British armed forces.
It has hitherto been the practice, in cases where a discharged soldier is entitled to a passage at the expense of army funds, for the passage to be engaged for him by the military authorities, who have adopted this procedure in preference to that of advancing the cost of the journey and leaving the soldier to make his own arrangements. The practice of officially making arrangements for the passage has been found to present various advantages, and to be for the advantage of the men themselves, who are thus assured of an opportunity of returning home. Passages to the United States would of course only be granted on production of proof that the soldier applying for such grant had proceeded from the United States subsequent to the outbreak of war for the purpose of joining His Majesty’s forces.
His Majesty’s Government have now learnt that difficulties may arise in connection with the entry of discharged soldiers into the United States, owing to the system, to which I have referred above, under which their passages are booked by the Government authorities, and I am accordingly instructed to enquire whether it would not be possible, in view of the precautions which are taken to prevent the issue of such passages to persons not entitled to them, that permission should be given for the reentry into the United States, on production of a passport, of discharged British soldiers for whom return passage has been provided by His Majesty’s Government.
I have [etc.]