File No. 860c.48/68b
The Secretary of State to the War Trade Board
Gentlemen: The Department begs to inform you that it is of the opinion that relief remittances should not go forward to any portions of Russia under German-Austro-Hungarian occupation outside of Poland.
The geographical limitations of Poland as accepted by the Department in this particular connection are as follows: the course of the River Bug to a point between the towns of Grodek and Nur on that river; thence in a general northerly direction to the River Narev, excluding Bielostok; westwards along the Narev to Vizna (near Lomza), then north and east again along the Rivers Biebrz and Bobr to the River Niemen,1 near to but excluding Grodno; thence following the course of the Niemen to the point where it enters East Prussia, excluding Kovno.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that the governments of Grodno, Vilna and Kovno are excluded from the boundaries of Poland as defined above.
It is kindly requested that you will notify the banks and interested relief organizations that remittances for points other than those in Poland as above defined will not be accepted for forwarding after June 1, 1918.
I am [etc.]
Second Assistant Secretary
- Should read: “then north and east again along the River Biebrza or Bobr to the River Niemen.”↩