File No. 763.72114/3903
The Minister in Switzerland ( Stovall) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 6, 10.55 p.m.]
4199. My 4062, July 24, 9 a.m., 4071, July 25, 10 a.m. [9 a.m.], and 4104, July 20 [27], 4 p.m. I have now received note from Political Department stating that Swiss Federal Council realized that consent of Governments interested was necessary before contemplated [Page 34] charge of half rate for transport on Swiss Federal railways of gifts and relief in kind to prisoners of war could go into effect.
On the other hand, the Federal Council authorized the Federal railways to charge the half rate for transport from August 1 of this year of collective consignments of foodstuffs on the ground that these consignments could not be regarded as gifts but constituted in fact the partial provisioning of prisoners of war with articles of first necessity.
In inquiry at Political Department I was informed the expression “collective consignments” did not apply to the individual parcels sent to prisoners of war in large amounts by recognized relief organizations, which are regarded as gifts, but only to shipments in bulk of bread, grain and other foodstuffs of first necessity.