701.0090/103a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Sweden (Johnson)
417. Your 1216, May 18, 7 p.m.95 and 1222 May 19, 2 p.m. Department considers it important that the 180 Americans and their relatives from Sweden and Finland and also those Americans in Norway provided with passports who desire repatriation embark on Gripsholm even if a slight delay in the departure of the vessel seems; necessary. It is also desirable that Americans from Denmark should be placed aboard. Department is telegraphing Legation Bern requesting Swiss Foreign Office urgently instruct Swiss Minister Berlin inform German Foreign Office accordingly and state that this Government would even be willing to have the vessel delay its departure for a day or two if necessary in order that the Americans in question may be placed aboard, with request that urgent reply be telegraphed to the Department and to you. In the meantime please do whatever is possible to assist in the embarkation of the Americans in question, telegraphing Department urgently and informing the Swedish Government and Legation Bern should delay in the departure of the vessel seem necessary to embark the Americans from Sweden and Finland whose names you have submitted for German approval. Department understands Swedish Government has given belligerent governments necessary notice of sailing of the vessel on May 23 and assumes that slight inadvertent delay of one or two days, should that become necessary, will not affect validity of the notice.
- Not printed.↩