File No. 763.72111/4508

The Secretary of State to the Governor of the Hawaiian Islands ( Pinkham)

[Telegram]

Your telegram regarding German merchant ships. No German ships in United States ports have been placed under guard and crews interned except one German vessel which came into Norfolk as a prize and subsequently was libeled by the owners and now in the custody of the United States court. German merchant ships merely war bound in United States ports have only been under such surveillance as has been necessary to protect the vessels themselves and the navigation of American waters. In one or two cases where a German vessel has been sunk in the navigable channel, thus being a danger to navigation, the persons responsible have, I am advised, been prosecuted. In view of the practice in the United States and the present critical situation, I venture to suggest that German merchant vessels war bound in Hawaiian ports be not seized by Hawaiian authorities nor their crews taken into custody, and that action against them be limited to legal procedure for violations of law. Such practice would be consistent with the handling of similar cases in the United States and would not subject the Government to criticism for initiating harsh measures.

Robert Lansing