868.11/43
The Minister in Greece (Skinner) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 1.]
Sir: I have the honor to report that a deplorable incident occurred recently, in consequence of which the Rev. Arba John Marsh, a respectable American clergyman, although provided with a passport duly visaed in Europe by a competent Hellenic consular officer, was [Page 122] held in confinement at the frontier and subjected to considerable loss and inconvenience before his admittance could take place. This incident was due to the fact that according to Greek regulations, clergymen are not permitted to enter the country except when in possession of visas authorized in advance by the central Government. This, obviously, is a measure aimed at a limitation of what is called religious propaganda, and not at a limitation upon the number of tourist visitors. Rev. Marsh was unfortunate in that the consular officer who supplied him with a visa had not obtained the necessary advance authorization from Athens.
I pointed out to the Minister of Foreign Affairs that American clergymen desiring to visit Greece were not of the category which the Government had in mind in issuing the order respecting visas, and I am glad now to state that I have just received a note from Mr. Michalakopoulos setting forth that, in view of my observations, “the Hellenic consular authorities in the United States have been authorized to grant visas to the persons in question (Ministers of religion of American nationality) without the necessity of obtaining permission to do so from Athens, in cases where tourists are under consideration whose sojourn in Greece will not exceed two months; to avoid any possible difficulty such travellers should obtain their Greek visas in the United States, before their departure.”
It is advisable that the foregoing arrangement be brought to the attention of clerical applicants for American passports who intend to come to Greece.
I have [etc.]