124.516/361: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Germany (Morris)
1378. Your 1802, May 8, 6 p.m. With respect to the German Government’s contention that the Department’s complaint respecting the inadequacy of the daily courier service between Paris and Vichy and vice versa established by the German occupying authorities is unjustified since with one exception the members of the American staff at Paris have never taken advantage of this service, you should refer to telegram no. 1319, May 7, from Paris repeated to you.
The inadequacy of this service is furthermore established by the German Government’s own statements respecting the limitations on the kind of mail that may be forwarded by this means. Any service [Page 519] which may not be used by the Department’s representatives at Paris to communicate with the Department and with the Department’s other offices abroad and vice versa is in itself inadequate.
With respect to the German Government’s statement that matters respecting the protection of the interests of represented governments should be presented to the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Embassy at Berlin and consequently that it is unable to understand how urgent correspondence concerning the protection of such foreign interests could have accumulated in Paris and in Vichy, you should inform the Foreign Office that the Department will of course take up with it through you in the future as in the past matters calling for representations to the central government of the occupying authorities but you should point out that the urgent mail to which reference is made consists of whereabout and welfare inquiries, instructions regarding the payment of relief, and other administrative matters, which require no representations to the occupying authorities but which are nevertheless urgent and numerous. Many of these communications are circular in nature and to save delay many of them call for the transmission of information, accounts, et cetera, directly to the governments concerned through the Department’s offices in other countries which are themselves under instructions to communicate on such urgent routine matters directly with the office at Paris. The German Government should be able to appreciate the understandable desire of relatives and friends promptly to send and receive information respecting the welfare of loved ones, and the anxiety that would develop if this service, including the payment of relief, were to be cut off.
As the German Government’s reply to the representations that you were directed to make in the Department’s 1060 April 12, 3 p.m., indicates in part a misunderstanding of the situation, the Department has made the foregoing explanation and is withholding action until you have had an opportunity to clarify the matter. Unless, however, the Department’s inability to communicate freely and adequately with its representatives at Paris and vice versa is promptly remedied by the German authorities, the Department will have no alternative but to bring the true facts of the situation to the attention of the represented governments as indicated in its 1060, and you should again so inform the Foreign Office.
Four first class and 18 second class pouches have accumulated at Vichy for Paris and about 15 at Paris for the Department and other offices.