File No. 124.62/20a
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Germany ( Gerard)
3860. The President will address Congress to-day at 2 o’clock and at the same hour passports will be handed to Count Bernstorff and the members of his suite. You may request the German Government to deliver passports to you and your staff, and you will leave Germany as soon as practicable. You and Grew to return to the United States; Wilson is assigned to Switzerland; Kirk to The Hague; Scotten and Osborne to London.
Refer to Department’s 2944 of April 28, 1916,1 and request the Spanish Ambassador to be so good as to care for American diplomatic and consular interests in Germany. The Department has telegraphed to Madrid making this formal request of the Spanish Government.
[Page 586]Refer to Department’s 2962 of May 1, 1916, and act accordingly.1 Department has informed London that you will entrust British interests to Netherland Minister; has informed Tokyo that you will entrust Japanese interests to the Spanish Government; has informed the Serbian Government that the Spanish Ambassador in Berlin will care for Serbian interests; and until the Department has received information from the Roumanian Government you may also entrust Roumanian interests to the Spanish Embassy.
Follow Department’s 2944 regarding books, vouchers, and accounts relating to expenditures out of funds belonging to British, Japanese, and Serbian Governments. Follow also same procedure with regard to Roumanian funds.
Destroy special green and green ciphers, and deliver other ciphers to Spanish Ambassador.
Your 4971, January 31.1 You may lease Embassy for another year, beginning July 1.
Advise all American citizens to leave Germany at once. All Embassy special assistants should accompany you and Grew to the United States.
Direct consular officers, including agents, to place consulates and archives in custody of representatives of Spain and proceed with American clerks, including war-relief clerks and George Vaze, to United States where they will be given leave of absence in Department’s discretion; except Quarton and Gray who should report to Consul General at Rotterdam, and Reilly to Consul General, Stockholm, and Harter to Consul General, Copenhagen for duty.
Expenses of transportation of families and of storage of household and personal effects or rent of residence where storage not possible or lease of residence not terminable will be paid from time to time upon receipt of accounts and vouchers. Codes, cipher messages or translations, seals and accounts, including all accounts, vouchers, and papers relating to expenses of representing foreign interests and for individual relief, should be delivered to Embassy for transmission to Department.
Rent of offices to March 31 should be paid. Also pay salaries of clerks and employees who are not American citizens to March 31 when services of foreign subjects will terminate. Take receipts covering full period of each payment. Embassy should deliver to Spanish Ambassador list of future payments to be made for rent and similar obligatory expenses of Embassy and consulates after March 31 with blanks and instructions covering such payments. Discontinue all expenses not obligatory.
All money on hand belonging to United States in excess of payments herein authorized should be deposited with Embassy and receipt [Page 587] taken. Embassy should deliver to Spanish Ambassador amount sufficient to meet expenses of Embassy and consulates for six months taking receipts therefor. Remainder should be converted into New York exchange to be brought to Washington. Funds held on account of foreign governments for relief and other purposes should be delivered to diplomatic representatives selected by those governments to take charge of their interests taking and forwarding to Department receipts in triplicate for exact amount so delivered.
Commissions of vice consuls of German nationality will be canceled and Foreign Office should be so notified before leaving.
- Foreign Relations, 1916, Supplement, p. 249.↩
- Not printed.↩
- Not printed.↩