701.0010/432: Telegram
The Minister in Switzerland (Harrison) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 9—4:26 p.m.]
3217. Exchange negotiations—Germany. Department’s 1672, July 1. Swiss Foreign Office this afternoon informally handed Tait7 copy of note dated July 8 received from German Legation, Bern. Following is translation:
“Through note of Swiss Legation, Division of Foreign Interests, of April 2, 1942, and note of German Foreign Office of April 13, 1942, it was established that German Government would give citizens of American countries opportunity to return their homes and Government of United States would give opportunity to German citizens desiring return home to return Germany for repatriation. Neutral ships were to be used which would travel under guarantees of all countries at war. The German request that on these voyages ships would not touch war zones declared by Germany was met by American Government in that it—in general—agreed that exchange ships would not go into regions which German Government declared as dangerous. Aside from the fact that German Government did not withdraw safe conduct for Drottningholm but to the contrary specifically confirmed prospective voyage from New York to Lisbon, use of New York as a port does not represent any essential part of arrangement made for exchange. German Government has made proposal that Drottningholm continue its voyages in work of repatriation, but that it should, in future, proceed to an American port on Gulf of Mexico. To this proposal there has been no answer from Government United States. The Legation is instructed to state that German Government considers arrangements made for mutual exchange of citizens as binding as heretofore. German Government will carry out agreement insofar as this is not made impossible by action of Government United States.”
- George Tait, First Secretary of Legation.↩