740.00115 European War 1939/440:
Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom
(Kennedy) to the Secretary of State
London, July 9,
1940.
[Received July 9—12:48 p.m.]
2062. Your 1446, 27th, and my 1882, June 28, 11 p.m. Foreign Office
note dated July 8 after referring to the considerations advanced by
the Department, including the possibility of reprisals, states:
[Page 206]
- “3. Lord Halifax has the honor to state that in
sending German prisoners of war and internees to Canada,
His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom are not
acting in any way contrary to the provisions of the
Prisoners of War Convention, still less with harshness.
The climate of Canada is good, there is an abundance of
food, the prisoners will be, as was pointed out in Lord
Halifax’s note to the Swiss Legation of the 22d June, of
which a copy was sent to the United States Embassy on
the 22d June, outside the area of hostilities, and
Canada is a party to the Prisoners of War Convention and
is prepared to observe its stipulations in the case of
prisoners of war, and generally, in the case of interned
civilians. Every effort will be made to ensure that
these men are not exposed to any unnecessary risk on the
voyage but of course His Majesty’s Government in the
United Kingdom cannot accept responsibility if the lives
of these men are endangered by the armed forces of the
enemy failing to comply with the rules of warfare which
oblige belligerents to ensure the safety of the
passengers and crew of any merchant ships sunk. The
names of the Germans sent to Canada will be communicated
to the German Government as soon as possible, and
facilities will, no doubt, be given by His Majesty’s
Government in Canada to the representative of the power
which is in charge of German interests in that Dominion,
to visit the internment camp or camps on the arrival of
the internees or prisoners of war, so that they can
satisfy themselves as to their treatment.
- “4. His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom
would be unable to admit that there is any parallel
between the seizure of British subjects by the German
forces in a neutral country which they had invaded and
their transfer to Germany for internment, and the
transfer of prisoners of war and enemy civilians from
one part of the British Commonwealth of Nations to
another. To resort to reprisals would, therefore be an
entirely unjustifiable act on the part of the German
Government.
- “5. Lord Halifax trusts that the United States
Government will appreciate the force of these arguments
and that the United States Embassy at Berlin will be
able to give such information and explanations to the
German Government as may convince them that the transfer
of German prisoners of war and internees to Canada is in
no way prejudicial to them but rather the contrary, and
that there is, therefore, no ground for any retaliatory
action against British prisoners of war or British
internees in Germany.”
Not repeated to Berlin.
