340.1115A/1333a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in France (Murphy)38
220. 1. Since the President’s proclamation39 under the Neutrality Act listing France as a belligerent is still in effect, please request the Foreign Office to inform you for the Department how many days advance notice it desires be given it of the sailing date and course of American ships such as the American Legion now proceeding to Petsamo specially dispatched to repatriate Americans, and American Red Cross steamships such as the McKeesport, in order that the French authorities may take all necessary precautions to insure that such ships will not be subjected to interruption or molestation on their voyages by the French forces.
2. You will point out to the Foreign Office that these ships prominently display the American flag and other American insignia, that they proceed fully lighted at night, and that they are unarmed and move without convoy; consequently, they are easily identifiable as American and neutral ships, and attack upon them by any belligerent vessel could result only from a failure on the part of the attacking force properly to assure itself beforehand that it is not attacking a neutral ship.
3. However, as a matter of extra precaution for the safety of the ships and their passengers, the Department has followed the practice of notifying the belligerent governments when such vessels sail and the course they will take. In the future, the Department will endeavor to give the notification, together with indication of the distinguishing characteristics of the particular ship and its speed, such number of days in advance as the belligerent governments may require in order to inform their fighting forces, with the understanding that the ship will be free safely to proceed when the stated number of days have expired after presentation of the notification to the Foreign Office.
4. The Foreign Office will appreciate that the exact date of departure from European ports cannot be determined positively until the [Page 151] ship has arrived at the port and arrangements have been completed for the embarkation of the passengers in the case of a ship sent to repatriate Americans or for unloading of cargo in the case of a Red Cross ship. It is obviously desirable that the ships should not be obliged to remain in the port for an extended period. Therefore the Department desires to know whether indication of a tentative sailing date will suffice with the understanding that the ship will not sail before that date but may safely proceed subsequently. To illustrate, the American Legion is expected to arrive at Petsamo on August 6 and to be able to return on August 8, but the Department cannot be sure at this moment that the departure will not be delayed to a later date since the ship may experience delay in arriving on August 6 and delay may occur in embarking its passengers, and weather conditions may also delay departure. As there are no hotel accommodations at Petsamo, the arriving passengers must proceed immediately on board the ship and remain there until sailing.
5. You will make it clear to the Foreign Office that this matter has reference only to the American ships mentioned in the first paragraph, that is, those specially dispatched to repatriate Americans, and Red Cross vessels.
6. Please obtain immediate reply and cable it triple priority. The Department is similarly communicating with other belligerent governments.
- The Embassy was temporarily established at Vichy, France, on July 14, 1940, with consular section remaining at Paris.↩
- Dated September 5, 1939. Foreign Relations, 1939, vol. i, p. 685.↩