File No. 763.72114A/176
The Ambassador in France ( Sharp) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 18, 9.54 a.m.]
8. [From Garrett]:
The Army and Navy members of the Prisoners of War Commission propose and favor a head-for-head, and rank-for-rank, exchange and repatriation of all combatant prisoners of war, except officers and crews of submarines, after 18 months’ captivity or internment or both. This is substantially the latest British-German agreement (not yet ratified) but it differs from the French-German agreement by including all commissioned officers, which the French-German agreement does not.
The same members propose and favor immediate internment in neutral European countries of all captured officers except submarine personnel without regard to rank or numbers. This to be effective on individual paroles not to escape or to serve their Governments in any capacity during internment, and the contracting Governments to agree not to accept the services of any such interned officers but to return them to the status of internment if they should break their paroles and escape.
These two propositions are advanced as being in the interest of humane treatment of prisoners and as having no valid military objections. On the other hand, it is suggested that in so far as the first proposition differs from the French agreement it must not [Page 89] embarrass that Government by causing a popular demand for an equally favorable French agreement, and that possibly also the exchange of officers might mean a military advantage to Germany.
The second proposition may be open to the objection that by giving our captured officers a more favorable status than the captured British and French officers as under current agreement, we may cause embarrassing demands to be made by their people upon those Governments for new agreements more conformable to ours.
An agreed policy on the part of the Allies is desirable for obvious reasons, but time of course renders this impossible before Berne meeting.
A copy of this cablegram has been furnished Secretary Baker in London with request for his views. The commission would be glad to have the views of the Secretaries of State and Navy on these two propositions at the earliest possible date. Garrett.