865.4016/111: Telegram
The Chargé in Italy (Reed) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 5—2:50 p.m.]
359. Department’s 122, December 3, 5 p.m. I believe that the Embassy now fully understands our Government’s attitude on this question and we shall be guided accordingly. Substance of the Department’s telegrams numbers 110, 114 and 122 is being made available to all consular officers in Italy.
The Embassy has hitherto been taking up through the Foreign Office individual cases of American nationals requesting exemption from possible application of the racial decrees or special consideration of their status thereunder. As this cannot be done without inferentially recognizing a distinction between American nationals on the basis of race or creed may I assume that the Department desires that Embassy should refrain from attempting to obtain such advance assurances in individual cases where discrimination on racial grounds is merely to be expected under operation of the decrees and that Embassy should confine itself to protesting in accordance with the Department’s previous instructions and on the basis of notes already delivered pursuant thereto when discriminatory action has actually been initiated in any given case? I regret to report that list containing names of two foreign consular employees “considered to be of the Jewish race” was informally furnished the Foreign Office on November 14 in response to Grazzi’s request.