340.1115A/74: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy)35
1131. Statements have appeared in a part of the press critical of the action of steamship companies in the sale of passages, alleging discrimination against American citizens in favor of aliens. Several statements have now been made privately and communicated to the Department by responsible persons, two of whom are members of the Senate and another a responsible person well known to the Department to the effect that discrimination has been practiced by persons in the offices of the United States Lines Company in Europe, particularly in England, against American citizens; that preference has been given in specific instances to aliens who have in certain cases actually been given accommodations aboard ship which had been engaged by or held for American citizens; that a certain amount of “crookedness” has been practiced by employees of the United States Lines Company in accepting money to give preferential accommodations to certain aliens at the expense of Americans; and other allegations along this line.
Very confidentially you are informed that we have reason to believe that several persons unfriendly to the administration may use such information which has come to them as a basis for attack despite their realization that these vessels are all privately operated vessels and that this Government has nothing to do with the sale of passage nor with the determination of who and in what order persons shall be given passage on American or other steamers. The only exception is the five diverted vessels which are also privately operated on which the Government has been obliged to restrict the sale of passage to American citizens without, however, exercising any determination as to what persons shall receive passage.
This Government is of the opinion that its various agencies here and its offices abroad have used due diligence in endeavoring to make transportation facilities available to American citizens abroad. Whatever adverse criticism may be made with regard to the sale of passages is of interest to this Government to the degree that appropriate investigation thereof must be made. You are therefore instructed to telegraph at your earliest convenience information as to the facts in order to enable this Department and the Maritime Commission to answer any statements which might be made which would reflect adversely upon its part in the conduct of the repatriation problem or from which might arise presumptions of negligence on the part of [Page 620] its officers abroad in their attention to the interests of American citizens in the emergency.
The Department realizes that the United States Lines Company is a private organization but nevertheless will appreciate your expression of opinion and any statement of fact which may be helpful to it here. The Department has no facts at present in its possession and the foregoing should not be taken as a criticism of the United States Lines Company.
Identic telegram being sent to Paris.
- The same telegram was sent September 30, 9 p.m., to the Ambassador in France as No. 1125.↩