123 T 71/123: Telegram
The Ambassador in Great Britain (Davis) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received 9:08 p.m.]
789. Your 4386, February 4, 4 p.m.38 The Foreign Office informs me that a proposal has been made to the Bolsheviki looking to an exchange of prisoners. It is not thought that it will be accepted but that a counter proposal will be made in reply to which the British Government would like to make a demand which would include our nationals who are imprisoned, as well as their own. The [Page 170] Foreign Office would, therefore, like to be informed as soon as possible the number of American citizens imprisoned in Russia and where they are supposed to be located. The authorities here are now led to believe there is but one British civilian prisoner at Petrograd and 50 or 60 military officers and men at Moscow. During the past few weeks the treatment of these prisoners has steadily improved and the Foreign Office has just been informed that within the last few days all prisoners have been given their freedom on parole.
- Not printed. See telegram, to the Ambassador in France, no. 7281, Feb. 4, supra.↩