341.1124/31
The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador (Howard)
Excellency: I have the honor to refer to your note of October 17, 1928,34 regarding the question of acceptance by the United States Government as deportees from Great Britain of persons who having acquired American citizenship by naturalization, have subsequently incurred the presumption of loss of citizenship, under the provisions of Section 2 of the Act of March 2, 1907, through protracted residence abroad, and to my note of November 9, 1928,34 informing you that this question was under consideration by the appropriate branches of the Government.
I had received a letter from the Secretary of Labor in which he informs me that his Department is of the opinion that the appearance at a port of entry of the United States under an order of deportation of the British Government of a person against whom the statutory presumption of loss of citizenship has arisen would not, of itself, be sufficient to overcome the presumption and would not justify the Department of Labor in admitting such a person as an American citizen. He further states that it would appear reasonable to assume that the question of the weight to be given to the fact of return to this country [Page 43] in overcoming the statutory presumption does not arise in the case of a person who is returning solely by reason of compulsion under an order of deportation.
Accept [etc.]