340.1115A/2438: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Switzerland ( Huddle )
482. American Interests—Welfare Messages. Your 248 January 23. Please repeat following instruction in same manner as you repeated Department’s 172 January 21:
- 1.
- Department’s instruction of January 21 is amended as hereinafter indicated.
- 2.
- Add to numbered paragraph 1 the following sentences:
“Legation Bern indicates that transmission by mail is not at present feasible. If improvement in mail communications should be reported, Department will reconsider possibility of transmission by mail. Interested persons should be so informed.”
- 3.
- Add to numbered paragraph 3 the following sentence:
“Ordinary one-way 25 word message Bern to Copenhagen costs at present approximately dollar and half; Bern to Tokyo, 24 dollars.”
- 4.
- Eliminate that portion of numbered paragraph 4 (B) after the
words “enemy territory” and add following in substitution for
it:
“and cost of Swiss representative’s reply will usually also be included in figure at end of Department’s reply to originating office. If, however, the word ‘partial’ follows the figure, it will signify that Swiss charges remain to be collected; in which event Legation Bern will by mail eventually inform Department of charges and Department will likewise inform originating office.”
- 5.
- Eliminate all of numbered paragraph 4 (C).
- 6.
- Eliminate from numbered paragraph 5 (C) the words “in same
manner as under 4 (B)” and substitute for them:
“also by mail, at such time as Department may receive accounts from Swiss Government covering the expenditure.”
- 7.
- Add following numbered paragraphs:
- “7. This Government has informed the enemy belligerents that it intends to apply also to interned civilian enemy aliens the terms of the aforementioned convention so far as they are adaptable. Since it is contemplated that the belligerents will exchange lists of such interned civilians and will permit them some form of communication with their families similar to that provided for prisoners of war, the Department will likewise ask the Swiss Government only in exceptional circumstances to make special inquiries relative to individual American civilians known to be interned in enemy territory.
- 8. As an exception to numbered paragraph 1, interested persons should be informed that they may communicate directly with the Official Information Bureau for Prisoners of War and Civilian Internees, Office of the Provost Marshal General, War Department, Washington, concerning American prisoners of war in enemy hands or American civilians interned in enemy territory. Any inquiries concerning them received by the Department will be referred to that Bureau.
- 9. The Swiss Government has recently expressed doubt that its representatives will be able to cope with a great volume of private welfare inquiries and messages and has suggested the possibility of entrusting such activities to the International Red Cross, in conjunction with local Red Cross Societies. Negotiations to that end are now under way and, if such a plan materializes, Department will issue appropriate instructions.”