File No. 763.72111Y2/9
The Ambassador in Germany ( Gerard ) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 31, 3.30 p.m.]
4949. Department’s 3809, January 22, 4 p.m. Following note received from Foreign Office to-day. Please note that although it refers to my note of 25th, my first note regarding this subject was written [January 20 …?] on subject of Turkey.
Foreign Office,
Berlin, January 28, 1917.
The undersigned has the honor to inform his excellency Mr. James W. Gerard, Ambassador of the United States of America, in reply to the esteemed note of the 26th instant (Foreign Office No. 16102) that in pursuance of information furnished by the Imperial Navy, there are a number of American citizens among the crews of the sunk armed English merchantmen Voltaire, Mount Temple, and Georgic brought to Swinemünde with the prize Yarrowdale and thereupon taken away as prisoners of war. In order to ascertain the names of the Americans it is necessary to examine the lists of the crews; these lists have been requested; unfortunately they are not at present in Berlin but elsewhere, in the hands of certain military authorities.
Undersigned will send further advice at an early date and the undersigned avails himself [etc.]
(Signed) Stumm