340.1115A/1583: Telegram
The Chargé in Germany (Morris) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 6—12:18 p.m.]
4620. My 4568, November 2, noon.76 Dr. Ritter of the Foreign Office today handed a member of the Embassy the following third person note.
“The Foreign Office has the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the notes of October 27 and November 1 regarding the voyage of an American ship to repatriate American citizens from an Irish port.
On the basis of the previous statement of the German Government to the effect that the areas around England are areas of military operations the Reich Government is not in a position to furnish any sort of assurance of the nature requested.”
On delivering the note Ritter asserted that the matter had been carefully studied by the German military authorities whose conclusion was that in view of the intensive military operations it was impossible to give any assurance of safe passage for the vessel. His Government could not offer any encouragement to the proposed voyage because of the disastrous political consequences which would result from any accident to the vessel if it proceeded on the basis of some semi-assurance. The Italians not being involved in that area of the war could venture to give a semi-assurance. He added that he was surprised at the Italian action in the matter (Department’s telegram No. 2895, October 30, 6 p.m.) which should not have been taken without prior consultation with the Reich Government. He apologized for the delay in replying to the Embassy’s note but asserted it was necessary to refer the matter to Ribbentrop77 who had been 3 days absent from Berlin.