740.0011 European War 1939/10358: Telegram
The Minister in Egypt ( Kirk ) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 27—7:45 a.m.]
330. The Legation’s telegram No. 101, June 12, 5 p.m. 1940, and its despatch No. 2257, November 23, 1940.13 Since the beginning of April when the advance of the Italo-German force toward Egypt began, a wave of rumors and false information of a subversive nature has swept over Cairo and consequently the Egyptian authorities have been obliged to issue two warnings to the public against the spreading of false rumors and divulging military information. In this connection, the Legation has received a note from the Foreign Office transmitting a copy of a decision reached by the Council of Ministers on April 7 defining “territorial defense secrets” of which the substance has been published in the press and attached to the note was a copy of the penal laws upon which the decision was based.
The Legation has received a confidential report to the effect that the Egyptian authorities intend to follow up the warnings to the public by active measures and are preparing lists of aliens and Egyptians who are to be arrested. These lists include a small number of Hungarians, Bulgarians and Rumanians who are to be arrested within a few days, as well as a fairly large number of German and Italian women. Personnel and facilities for interning women are now lacking but should be ready within a short time. The arrest of Egyptians presents a more knotty problem than in the case of most aliens and apparently there exists considerable difference of opinion as to the advisability of arresting certain Egyptians whose names have been placed at least tentatively on the list of dangerous persons. According to the report no serious cases of sabotage have been committed thus far in Egypt and apparently the Italian and German fifth columns in this country are believed to be organized primarily for propaganda purposes.
- Neither printed.↩