Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1941, General, The Soviet Union, Volume I

138 Emergency Program/2574: Telegram

The Chargé in Italy (Wadsworth) to the Secretary of State

Rome, December 8, 1941.
[Received December 9—7:01 a.m.]

1918. Department’s 1315, December 5th.⁴⁹ Under date of September 19, following the suggestion in the Department’s telegram 918, September 11, 5 p.m.,⁵⁰ the Embassy requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to consider the advisability of permitting Americans desiring to return to the United States from Italian occupied territories in Yugoslavia and Greece to travel to Rome using documents such as those described in first paragraph of Department’s telegram under reference.⁵¹ Although no definite reply to this request has yet been received the Embassy is of the opinion that any such general permission will be refused.

The Foreign Office has indicated that it would be willing to consider applications to facilitate the departure of persons individually referred to it even if such persons did not have valid travel documents. There would however undoubtedly be a delay of some weeks before action could be obtained on such applications.

Americans proceeding from Greece could travel to Rome by Italian airplane and would probably be able to obtain reservations on the plane if the Foreign Office informed its High Commissioner in Athens that there was no objection to their departures for the United States.

Americans coming from occupied sections of Yugoslavia could travel to Rome by train although the service is intermittent and undependable.

Upon arrival in Rome the refugees’ travel documents could be made valid for the journey to the United States but about a month would be required to secure the necessary visas, arrange for plane or train reservations and procure from the United States sufficient funds for travel to Lisbon.

Wadsworth

49. Not printed; it requested that a reply be expedited to Department’s telegram No. 1173, November 6, 7 p.m., p. 429.
50. Telegram not printed.
51. i. e., telegram No. 918; the documents described in the first paragraph were passports even though expired or not validated, and registration certificates (138 Emergency Program/2137).