File No. 763.72114/3439
The French Ambassador ( Jusserand ) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 28.]
Mr. Secretary of State: As Your Excellency knows, the very interesting question of furnishing the prisoners of war of the small Allied states with relief and supplies was recently given special consideration at Berne by the French, American and English diplomatic representatives who drew up a common diagram for the approval of the three Governments.
According to the draft the text of which has been forwarded to me, a central inter-Allied committee would be instituted in Paris, the committee, composed of two delegates appointed by each one of the three Powers, preference being given to one by reason of his official station and to the other by reason of his technical knowledge, would be charged with the duty of coordinating, regulating, and supervising the shipment of relief to the Montenegrin, Portuguese, Roumanian, and Serbian prisoners of war. Each one of the Allied states whose prisoners should receive relief would appoint a delegate who, whenever it was found necessary, would be given a seat in the committee in an advisory capacity.
The diplomatic representatives at Berne had at first thought of placing in that city the seat of the committee, but on further consideration they found that it had better sit in one of the Allied Capitals, for the twofold reason that its purpose being to allot funds and guard purchase and transportation facilities it would be in closer contact with the other inter-Allied committees more especially in charge of such matters, and, further, that the fact that shipments to Allied prisoners are frequently routed via Holland and Denmark, for instance, instead of Switzerland, made it imperative to provide in these various countries for supervisory agencies placed under the same directing body. Paris was chosen as best meeting these requirements.
It seemed that the committee should, for the proper discharge of its duties, be given control not only over the purchase of foodstuffs but also over the allotment of subsidies awarded to the Allied prisoners. The draft therefore commissions that committee to propose to the respective Governments the amount of subsidies to be allowed to the several small states for the relief of their prisoners. The draft is based on the equal participation in the burdens of the institution by the three Powers, France, the United States and England forming a consortium that would guarantee through equal contributions the relief of the prisoners of war of the small Allied states.
[Page 613]The prisoners would all receive the same amount of relief, so the subsidies allowed to their Governments would be determined in proportion to their numbers. The subsidies would thus be allotted to the Governments concerned. These Governments would in this way assume toward the three Entente Powers responsibility for the proper use of the credits assigned to them, and, as these credits would be in the nature of a loan, they would be accountable therefor to the three Powers.
The draft advocates the federation in every Allied country of the institutions that are now engaged in the relief of prisoners. Such a federation may not be practicable in all these countries and the draft on this point does not go beyond a mere suggestion. But it is needless to point out the advantage that such an organization would offer from the standpoint of supervising and utilizing the disbursements. Be this as it may, it would be understood in any event that subsidies would only be allowed proportionately to the number of prisoners to be relieved. An agreement among the several institutions would thus become compulsory.
With regard to the purchase and transportation of foodstuffs, two different modes of procedure have been provided for according as the purchases are made in Entente or neutral countries. In the first contingency, care has been taken to forbid as far as possible or at least to reduce to a minimum any revictualing that would come into competition with purchases made on account of French, American or British prisoners or with national alimentation. Such purchases could only be made, as an exception, upon the formal permission granted and orders delivered by the committee. No restriction would be placed on the institution as to their purchases in neutral countries, but transportation should be regulated so as not to hamper the carrying facilities needed by the Allied countries.
The Government of the Republic instructs me to say to Your Excellency that the proposed organization has its full approval and that it wishes to know at the earliest possible date what decision the Federal Government shall, for its part, have reached on the subject.
Be pleased to accept [etc.]