Office of the Historian

123W694/360: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)

Washington, September 16, 1941—6 p.m.

3838. Referring Department’s 2932, August 2, 10 p.m.,2a there have arisen certain questions relating to form and procedure in connection with Mr. Wilson’s appointment as Commissioner to India with the rank of Minister. These have had our careful consideration and in the light of the situation which is peculiar to India we have arrived at the following conclusions: [Page 175]

(1)
The office at Delhi will be known as “The Commission of the United States of America”.
(2)
Mr. Wilson will present a letter of credence to the Viceroy the usual ceremonial procedure in connection with such presentation will be observed. Following language is suggested, subject approval British authorities: “To His Majesty, George VI, etc., Great and Good Friend: I have made choice of Mr. Thomas M. Wilson, a citizen of the United States, as Commissioner of the United States of America to India, with the personal rank of Minister, to reside at New Delhi, and have charged him to conduct the affairs of his post in a manner to foster the friendship which has so long subsisted between the Government of the United States and that of Your Majesty. Paragraph May God have Your Majesty in His wise Keeping. Your Good Friend (signed) Franklin D. Roosevelt. (Countersigned) Cordell Hull”. Urgent that immediate reply be received on this point.
(3)
The subordinate officers will be designated as “Secretary of the Commission”.
(4)
The officers assigned to Delhi will retain their consular commissions as of Calcutta and no change will be made in the Calcutta consular district. This is proposed in order that the officers may be properly documented to perform consular services at the same time avoiding the technical adjustments that would be involved in consular assignments to Delhi with the resultant necessity for establishing a new consular district.

Before issuing definitive instructions to Mr. Wilson, we desire that you discuss these several propositions with the appropriate British authorities with a view to ascertaining whether this procedure is agreeable and if it is not, we should be glad to have alternative suggestions. Our primary interest, of course, is the establishment of effective representation in complete accord with the wishes of the British Government and the Government of India. This telegram has been repeated to Mr. Wilson at Calcutta.

Hull
  1. Not printed.↩