Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1942, General; the British Commonwealth; the Far East, Volume I

340.1115A/2464: Telegram

The Chargé in Switzerland (Huddle) to the Secretary of State

Bern, February 25, 1942—4 p.m.
[Received 8:21 p.m.]

745. American Interests, Welfare. Legation’s 591, February 14, 3 [4] p.m. crossing Department’s 458, February 16, 6 p.m., gives general reply thereto. However, Brandt³⁰ proceeded Geneva February 20 and accompanied by Elting and House interviewed Burckhardt and Chenevière, members International Red Cross Committee, to express appreciation for Committee’s proffered services and offer Legation’s assistance whenever needed and finally to verify Committee’s readiness efficiently handle American welfare inquiries in Axis territories. Following is his report supplementing previous of Elting and House, summarized in Legation’s 591 and constituting with that, as positive reply as can be made at this time to Department’s queries:

1. The conversation had principally to do with welfare inquiries relating to non-interned Americans in Axis territories, there being no question of the Committee’s ability to obtain information regarding prisoners of war and civilian internees for the exchange of which information among the belligerents the Committee exists as the central agency, under the international agreements. Burckhardt and Chenevière pointed out that the Committee’s duties with respect to prisoners of war and civilian internees must therefore be its first concern.

2. The Committee is entirely willing to receive and act upon welfare inquiries relating to American civilian non-internees and moreover, it asks that it be trusted to do everything in its power to handle the inquiries in the most expeditious and effective manner so as to obtain maximum possible results for the United States. Utilizing the existing organization and facilities for the exchange of information regarding prisoners of war and civilian internees, with expansion as may be required, the Committee states that it is administratively prepared promptly to receive and dispatch a considerable volume of inquiries and to transmit the replies when received. The Committee’s offices in Geneva were visited and found to be in a very large building accommodating a large personnel (it was stated the Committee employs at present about 4,000 persons in Switzerland), seemingly well organized and industriously at work. There is an Anglo-American Section with a competent appearing, English speaking woman in charge, where the American work, as yet, is not voluminous. There is an index of names of all persons about whom inquiry is made of the Committee.

3. However, the Committee cannot at this moment give assurance that it will be able promptly to obtain replies to all the inquiries. Non-internees, unlike internees and prisoners of war who are confined and known and whose whereabouts the belligerents are required to report to the Committee, must be sought out individually for news of them with military operations frequently impeding the inquiries and belligerents not being bound to assist or to facilitate them. The Committee does not have its own offices in the belligerent countries with sufficient personnel to make the inquiries but must depend therefor upon the separate Red Cross societies and upon the local authorities who display variation in ability and willingness for the task.

4. Eventually on a basis of reciprocity and with developed practice abroad the Committee believes that inquiries can be satisfactorily handled in volume for all countries from the receipt of the initial request to the transmission of the reply. In the meantime every effort should be made to keep the number of inquiries to a minimum, particularly for the Far East. Whereas at the beginning a larger volume of inquiries for the European countries can be efficiently handled with the better facilities and attitude toward inquiries existing in those countries the Committee fears that a flood of inquiries passed now to the Japanese Red Cross might easily discourage, prejudice or irritate them and militate against obtaining replies or at least prompt replies from them for non-internee inquiries and possibly adversely affect the work in behalf of internees and prisoners of war. Incidentally, the Committee stated that on February 19 it received a telegraphic reply to its inquiry of the Japanese Red Cross whether the latter would undertake to make inquiries relating to Americans in the Philippines and Hong Kong, the reply being that the Japanese Red Cross had consulted the competent authorities who stated that during the present military operations it is impossible to obtain information promptly. The Japanese Red Cross added, however, that it would endeavor to satisfy the Committee and accordingly the Committee immediately telegraphed to the Japanese Red Cross the inquiries which up to date had been referred to the Committee by this Legation.

5. The Committee accordingly makes the following recommendations relating to the dispatch of inquiries from the United States to it, more particularly with regard to inquiries for the Far East:

(a) that public announcement in the United States of the Committee’s agreement to accept and make inquiries relating to non-internees should be avoided, or restrained as much as possible in promise of promptness;

(b) that inquiries [inquirers?] be explicitly advised that there will probably be long delay in obtaining replies and that the work of obtaining replies is likely to be hampered by repeated inquiry, and

(c) that inquiries be restricted to those for near relatives or close friends.

Should the Committee nevertheless receive suddenly a very large number of inquiries it would feel it necessary for the good of the work to divide the inquiries into small groups and send them on at spaced intervals determined by the receipt of replies especially for inquiries relating to Americans in the Far East.

6. With regard to the transmission of personal messages the Committee holds to its suggestion that only straight whereabouts and welfare inquiries be undertaken at present as stated in paragraph 4 of Legation’s 591. It is considered, however, by the Committee that it may not be possible always to avoid inclusion in inquiries and replies of some few words constituting a personal message and the Committee does not propose to object thereto.

7. It was stressed to the Committee that funds to cover its necessary expenses, including telegraphic costs and needed personnel, would naturally be forthcoming from the United States, presumably through the American Red Cross. The matter was necessarily left to the Committee and Mr. House, representing the American Red Cross at Geneva, to arrange, as well as the matters of form and procedure for handling the inquiries between the American Red Cross and the Committee.

8. The conclusion reached and the answer to be made to the Department’s queries in its 458 are accordingly as indicated in paragraph 5 of the Legation’s 591, to the effect that the International Red Cross seems at present to be the only channel which may be hopefully used for satisfactorily making American welfare inquiries in the Axis territories. It may not function with prompt and satisfactory results generally for some time to come, since much depends upon factors which the Committee cannot control in countries in which the subjects of the inquiries reside. There is no other channel except through the Swiss diplomatic and consular representatives in charge of American interests which the Swiss Foreign Office, as indicated in the Legation’s 257 of January 24th, has asked be avoided because of the burden of work on the Swiss officials, certainly for any considerable volume of inquiries. As stated in paragraph 5 of the Legation’s 655, of February 19, 8 a.m.,³² Swiss official channel for making inquiries in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, and any other places which may in the future be occupied by the Japanese forces, are closed by action of the Japanese authorities forbidding Swiss officials to function therein. While the Swiss Chargé d’Affaires at Shanghai is continuing to answer American welfare inquiries addressed to him, he has reported that he does so in cooperation with the local Red Cross and he suggests Red Cross channels be used. For inquiries in Japan, Korea, Manchuria, Saigon and Bangkok the Swiss representatives remain available but are dependent for results largely upon recalcitrant local authorities. In Europe the Red Cross facilities for making inquiries may reasonably be considered the equal at least of those of the Swiss official representatives. The recommendation accordingly follows that the Department proceed to refer inquiries to the American Red Cross for transmission of inquiries to the International Red Cross Committee. The Committee evidently considers the acquisition and exchange of welfare information regarding civilians in war areas to be within the scope of humanitarian services provided by the Red Cross organization and within the possibility of successful general accomplishment by it. The hope may here be expressed that with, progressive use of the Red Cross channels by the belligerent powers, cooperating reciprocally with the Committee, the Committee may come to be, for civilian welfare inquiries, the recognized and efficient central agency it is for prisoner of war inquiries.

9. Inquiries or messages for individuals which are of an official nature, or where the public interest of the United States is involved or where they are of some special or particularly urgent nature, may be referred to the Legation for Swiss official action except, of course, in those places in the Far East where, as stated above, the Japanese authorities have refused recognition of Swiss official representatives.

Huddle

30. George L. Brandt, First Secretary of Legation in Switzerland.
32. Post, p. 846.