Office of the Historian

File No. 861.48/305

The Secretary of State to the Treasurer of the Lithuanian National Relief Fund ( Sidlauskas)

Washington, August 13, 1917.

Sir: With reference to your letter of May 22, 1917,1 I now beg leave to inform you that according to a decision reached by this Government, based upon exhaustive investigation, this Department is unable to authorize the transmission of funds to Lithuania, either through the Spanish Embassy in Washington or other channels.

The Department, however, approves of the transmission of relief funds, if so desired, to the Central Lithuanian Relief Committee in Petrograd for distribution to Lithuanian refugees in Russia, the activities of this Committee having been investigated and found satisfactory.

[Page 506]

Should you desire to send funds through this agency, you should forward your draft to the Department, payable to the Disbursing Clerk of the Department of State, together with any lists which you might desire to have accompany the remittances. The Department would then undertake to send such funds and lists to the American Embassy at Petrograd for delivery to the Central Lithuanian Committee above mentioned.

I am [etc.]

For the Secretary of State:
William Phillips
Assistant Secretary
  1. Not printed.↩