File No. 763.72114A/222
The Minister in Switzerland ( Stovall) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 8, 4.53 p.m.]
14. [From Garrett]:
Another plenary meeting was held yesterday and took up several matters that it had not been found possible to deal with in the subcommittee. In some matters of principle about which we differed agreement seems now to have been reached and details about which there were differences have been made to conform. The Germans today presented counter-proposals regarding exchange, internment, and repatriation of valid prisoners of war which will now be considered by us. The German delegates’ proposals for the unlimited repatriation of German civilians in America and the abandonment in principle of all internment of civilians were today [Page 96] formally refused by us and we insisted on our proposal as outlined in my No. 12, September 28, 5 p.m.
The Germans also submitted the following new proposal about which we request your instructions:
In signing the agreement between the German Government and the Government of the United States of America with regard to prisoners of war, sanitary personnel, and civilian prisoners of war, the American delegation declared that their Government will until the end of the war neither cause the internment or deportation of German civilians retained in China owing to the state of war nor cooperate in any measure aiming at the internment or deportation of these persons, and that it will cause no hindrance to such civilians who may be desirous of returning home.
The German delegation in the name of their Government took cognizance of this declaration.
Both delegations agreed that this accord should be considered as an integral part of the agreement and that it should not be published until further notice.
Done in duplicate at Berne on blank date.
Mensing, one of the German delegates and son-in-law of Vice Consul McNally in charge at Zurich, has tried through his father-in-law to find out whether I would see him privately. I have given him to understand that I would not. Somewhat similar approaches have been made to Mr. Davis1 with a like result. Garrett.
- John W. Davis, Solicitor General of the United States, member of the American Commission to the Prisoners of War Conference.↩