File No. 763.72115/3212
The Swedish Minister ( Ekengren) to the Secretary of State
Interests No. 1944/23
The Minister of Sweden, in charge of Austro-Hungarian interests in the United States, presents his compliments to the Secretary of State, and with reference to the Department’s esteemed note of September 15, 1917,1 wherein the Secretary of State informed the Swedish Minister of the desirability of deferring action in connection with arrangements proposed by him in regard to the handling of estates, compensation claims, etc., of Austrian and Hungarian subjects until a final disposition shall have been made of the legislation pending before Congress at that time, has the honor to request the kind intervention of His Excellency, the Secretary of State, that the Swedish consulates in charge of Austro-Hungarian interests in the United States, under the “Trading with the Enemy Act,” be given authority to act for Austrian and Hungarian subjects in inheritance matters, compensation claims and alike, and to collect money deriving from such cases. All such moneys would be transmitted by the Swedish consulates to this Legation which will keep them on deposit with the Riggs National Bank. No money whatever will be forwarded to Austria-Hungary either by the Swedish Legation or the Swedish consulates. In this way, only the interests of the beneficiaries will be taken care of. The Austro-Hungarian Government can derive no benefit from the money received and deposited here for persons in Austria-Hungary.
The Swedish Minister begs to refer to his note No. 1728/23, of October 29, 1917,2 in which the Secretary of State is informed that there exist no restrictions in Austria-Hungary towards American citizens and concerns as provided by the “Trading with the Enemy Act.”
[Received October 30.]