File No. 763.72114/2931a
The Secretary of State to the Secretary of Labor ( Wilson)
Sir: For the information of the Department of State, I have the honor to request that, if convenient and proper, you be so kind as to advise it regarding the following points connected with German subjects detained under the jurisdiction of your Department.
- (1)
- Whether prisoners of German nationality detained at temporary stations such as Ellis Island, Angel Island, Gloucester City, etc., are governed in their daily life by military law and are subject to the orders of any member or members of the armed forces of the United States Army.
- (2)
- Whether prisoners of a like category when transferred to permanent detention camps such as Hot Springs, N. C, etc., come in any way whatsoever under the jurisdiction of the War Department.
- (3)
- Whether such prisoners are receiving or are to receive treatment and privileges similar to those accorded prisoners of war, or whether the Department of Labor regards them as a distinct category which enjoys privileges and restrictions of a special nature.
Provided the Department of Labor does not recognise such prisoners as enjoying the same rights as prisoners of war, I would be glad to receive such information as you consider advisable to furnish me regarding the exact nature of the rules laid down by the Department of Labor governing these prisoners.
I have [etc.]