511.4A2A/1008
The Assistant Secretary of State (Long) to President Roosevelt
My Dear Mr. President: Secretary Hull has requested me pointedly to bring one matter directly to your attention. Having failed to reach you on the telephone, I adopt this method of reaching your attention.
The Permanent Central Opium Board and the Drug Supervisory Body—derivatives of the League of Nations, but in effect agencies for the enforcement of opium control—are fearful of their ability to continue to function in Geneva. They desire to retire to the United States and to continue their function here, and propose to set up an office in New York for that purpose.
The continuance of their function contemplates the exercise of certain political power and a modified form of judicial power.
The United States Government and the people of the United States have always been interested in opium control. Secretary Morgenthau34 has expressed the interest of his Department and his desire that it be done with the proviso that the operation might be postponed temporarily, say for the next month or so. Secretary Hull has asked me to say that he sees no objection to outweigh the interest which the Government and the people of the United States have in the continuance of the activity.
The two bodies concerned, through their spokesman, Mr. May, indicate that the restrictions upon the use of the mails and the difficulties of communication are hampering them in their work at Geneva. They feel that they could operate much more freely and effectively in a neutral country and particularly in this country.
Related to the proposal are the following facts:
- (a)
- The International Labor Organization, also an unofficial offshoot of the League of Nations, moved to Canada instead of coming to this country in order to continue its functions.
- (b)
- The Economic and Financial Section of the League and the Health and Opium Section (the latter an actual body of the League and the parent of the two bodies in question) have come to this country and have accepted the private invitation of Princeton University to continue their “studies” and to be provided facilities for that purpose on the campus at Princeton. They accepted the invitation after the Government had been informally advised but without the necessity for the American Government to take any action.
Considering the widespread interest in the United States in the control of opium and the official desire of the Government that the excellent work which has been done in the past shall not be jeopardized, [Page 331] Secretary Hull asked me to ascertain from you whether in your opinion the advantages to be derived from the continued functioning of these bodies outweighed any possible disadvantage—even temporary—which might ensue from the functioning on American soil of a political agency of the League of Nations.
If you approve, Mr. May might be informed that the United States does not desire to interpose an objection to the presence in the United States of the members of the committee and to the pursuit of their ordinary activities in connection with the suppression of the opium trade and that they may take up their temporary residence here together with a few of their necessary clerks during the fall of 1940.35
Faithfully yours,
- Henry Morgenthau, Jr., Secretary of the Treasury.↩
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Marginal notation on original: “B. L. OK to come here but no expense to us. F. D. R.”
On September 16, 1940, Mr. Long told Mr. May “that there would be no objection if some of the persons connected with the work of the Permanent Central Opium Board and the Drug Supervisory Body should come from Geneva to the United States and that we would give them visitors’ visas.” (511.4A2A/1005)
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