701.6510/69: Telegram
The Minister in Switzerland (Harrison) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 7—2:38 p.m.]
1388. American interests—Italy. Exchange personnel. Department’s 671 and 672, March 13;66 Swiss Foreign Office forwards note verbale [Page 351] of April 2 from Italian Foreign Office as follows (translation from Italian):
“Following our note verbale No. 4/01995/33 of March 6 regarding the communications made by the Department of State to Mr. Wadsworth the 2 and 13 of March67 the Eoyal Ministry of Foreign Affairs requests the Swiss Legation to communicate to the Government of the United States the following:
‘The Royal Government agrees with the proposal advanced by the American Government to put 250 berths at the disposition of Italian non-diplomatic citizens on board the steamer which will repatriate the Italian diplomatic personnel.
The Royal Government has made dispositions to facilitate the repatriation of all North American citizens who desire to leave Italy or Italian occupied territory.
The Royal Government will also bear the travel expenses from said territories and those incurred from Rome to Lisbon for all North American citizens.
The Royal Government is further disposed to allow to depart with the group of American citizens Father Woolf in exchange for the liberation and subsequent repatriation of Italian citizens, who are under arrest or detained and included in the list of Prince Colonna, and also the Italian citizens coming from other countries of the American continent and who are under arrest or detained before the departure of the diplomatic ship should they be requested by Prince Colonna to be included in the list of repatriates.
As proposed by Prince Colonna to the Department of State and in view of obtaining similar treatment for Italian citizens the Royal Government is disposed to bear the cost of transportation to Lisbon of the personal effects except household furniture and automobiles of diplomats and American citizens who are to be repatriated, in a quantity of four pieces per person (trunks or boxes) which quantity can be increased according to the possibilities of railway transportation Prince Colonna has been invited to present to the Department of State a definite list of 250 Italian citizens already residing in the United States and in: the countries of Central and South America except Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil who will leave on the diplomatic boat.
The Royal Government expects that the American Government will facilitate the grouping in the United States of all the citizens residing in Central and South America included in the list of Prince Colonna.
The journalist Denny who is at present at Poppi, (Arezzo) will be allowed to depart freely with other American journalists.
As was proposed at the time to the German Government the Royal Government is in accord that the diplomatic personnel and Italian citizens in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador join the group of Prince Colonna to be repatriated with it.
To this end instructions have been given to the Italian representatives in the above-mentioned countries to use the ships Acadia and Etolin.
The Royal Government is completely in accord with the chartering of the Swedish steamer Drottningholm for the transport of the Italian diplomatic representatives and their compatriots from the United States to Lisbon.
As already proposed to the German Government the Royal Government is in accord that the diplomatic personnel and Italian citizens in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador join the group of Prince Colonna to be repatriated with it.
To this end instructions have been given to all Italian representatives; however it is to be noted that the number of repatriates from the Axis and the associated countries will be around 1500 persons, in greater number women and children.
In case the steamer Drottningholm does not have sufficient capacity for the entire transport of the above persons the Royal Government asks the American Government if it will charter a second ship so that the departure of the diplomats and the Italian citizens can be effected simultaneously.
The Royal Government would like to avoid the repatriation of the diplomats and nationals in two successive trips and therefore wishes to insist that another ship be chartered with the Drottningholm. The Royal Government has given instructions to its own naval forces that the voyage of the ship Drottningholm from Göteborg to New York should take place undisturbed and it awaits being informed [Page 352] at least 14 days before the departure of the Drottningholm from a North American Atlantic port for Lisbon of the precise route of this steamer.
The Royal Government agrees that its own diplomatic representatives and citizens in Paraguay and Uruguay are to be gathered in Rio de Janeiro to be transported from that city to Lisbon on board Brazilian ships.’”