Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1918, Supplement 2, The World War

File No. 860c.01/94

The Secretary of State to the Representative of the Polish National Committee ( Paderewski)

Washington, August 20, 1918.

Sir: Referring to the matter of the proposed issuance by your Committee of “Certificates of Polish Nationality” to residents of the United States who may be technically classed as “alien enemies “under the peculiar provisions of section 4067 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, because of their birth in enemy countries, but who are of Polish nationality, I beg to advise you that this Government authorizes the use in such certificates of the following paragraph which corresponds to the wording contained in the form proposed by your Committee with the exception of the omission of the words “and citizens” following the words “public authorities:”

By virtue of authority conferred on the Polish National Committee at Paris (recognized by the United States Government on November 10, 1917¹), by the Department of State of the United States Government, this is to certify that

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

(Name)

Residing at_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

(Give residence)

Formerly a resident of, and claimed as a subject by_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

is of Polish nationality, and as such, is entitled to the consideration of public authorities which the Government of the United States has agreed to extend to Poles to whom these certificates are issued.

(Signed)

Ignace Jan Paderewski

Authorized representative in the United States of the Polish National Committee at Paris

It is to be understood that the terms “consideration of the public authorities which the Government of the United States has agreed to extend to Poles to whom these certificates are issued,” implies that whenever the holder of a certificate of this character applies to any official of the Department of Justice for a permit to enter forbidden areas or for a permit to do any other act forbidden by the restrictions contained in the President’s proclamations relating to alien enemies, special and liberal consideration will be given to his application.

It is understood that these certificates will not be issued by your Committee to persons of Polish nationality whose loyalty to the United States has not previously been satisfactorily established.

I am [etc.]

Robert Lansing

1. See telegram No. 2799 to the Ambassador in France, Foreign Relations, 1917, Supplement 2, vol. I, p. 778.