File No. 763.72114/3086
The Serbian Minister ( Michaïlovitch ) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 10.]
Excellency: I had the honor of receiving your note of November 30 last concerning the amelioration of the condition of Serbian prisoners in Germany, Austria and Bulgaria. The situation of the Serbian prisoners of war is desperate and is worse in all respects [Page 603] than that of the prisoners of our allies. This fact has been noticed and has created discontent in the Serbian Army and among the Serbian free civilian citizens. The Serbian Government responsible to the Parliament is bound to find means to relieve that deplorable condition of the Serbian prisoners and interned ones, and having been unable to obtain that a similar treatment to the one extended to the Allied prisoners be meted out to the Serbian prisoners, it informed the Allied Governments that it would try to obtain the exchange of sound prisoners with the enemy on the condition that both prisoners be interned in a neutral state. Such an exchange of prisoners would not augment the enemy forces, a fact which had been taken into consideration before the Serbian Government made the above proposal to the Allied Governments. The intention of the Serbian Government was to do everything possible to save the Serbian prisoners of war from the unavoidable annihilation which threatened them if they were to remain under the actual conditions—but would never have done anything which would, in that respect, benefit the enemy.
In this endeavor and with the view of responsibility of the Serbian Government, it requested the United States Government, six months ago, to grant it a small loan which has been kindly done. According to the arrangement with the Treasury Department, part of this loan was to be expended through the American Red Cross for the supplying of the Serbian prisoners of war and interned ones; and another part of same through the Serbian Government with the collaboration of the Special Agent of the United States at Corfu for the betterment of conditions of Serbian soldiers, invalids and their families. The Serbian Government was very appreciative for the great help extended it, and believed that this question of the prisoners was definitely settled. But in spite of the best good will and readiness of the American Red Cross, during the first six months it succeeded in sending only one ship of less than 2,000 tons of food and clothing for them, and which to date has not reached Marseilles, and the commodities of which cannot be distributed to the prisoners before two or three months. Owing to winter and starvation there will again be many hundred victims among them.
In the meantime, the loan of $3,000,000 has been exhausted, therefore I applied to the Treasury Department and requested a further small advance, lest the work of the American Red Cross and the Serbian Government be interrupted. Although our request was favourably received, a solution of this question could not be arrived at because of misunderstandings between the Allied chanceries which interfered. The American Red Cross has therefore been obliged to [Page 604] stop all supplies, and even those which had already been purchased had to be stored in the magazines of the American Red Cross. I have the honor to enclose, herewith, copy of the American Red Cross’s last letter1 by which you may see what difficulties were in the way of this relatively easy affair being favourably solved in the interest of our prisoners.
This is the reason for which the Serbian Government had to take the initiative of proposing an exchange of the valid prisoners, but this had been given up as soon as it was proposed that the American Red Cross should take up the upkeep of the Serbian prisoners in enemy countries. I am happy that this proposal has been favourably considered by the United States Government, and that it will have your kind support.
I know of all the practical difficulties to be encountered to settle all the details of this affair, but I beg your leave to express my hope that these difficulties are not of such a nature that they may not be overcome. If the United States Government would decide to put at the disposal of the Serbian Government a monthly loan of $1,000,000, and if a ship of about 5,000 tons be secured every month through the American Red Cross for the transport to Marseilles of the supplies purchased with this loan, the question of the relief of the Serbian prisoners of war and interned ones could be satisfactorily settled. I therefore beg to request that you would kindly use your influence towards this end.
I beg [etc.]
- Not printed.↩