125.0051/272a
Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State (Long) for President Roosevelt
Exchange of French and American Official Personnel
French Personnel in United States:
On November 7, 1942, when Franco-American relations were severed, there were of record at the Department the following French personnel of the French Government in the United States:
| Officials and Employees | Dependents | |
| French Embassy | 46 | 34 |
| French Consulates and other official French agencies | 84 | 81 |
| 130 | 115 | |
| Total—245 persons | ||
All these persons were immediately placed under restraint of their movements and communication. They were, however, permitted free communication with the Swiss diplomatic and consular representatives. Those representatives were granted permission to exercise their good offices in behalf of the French personnel and interests in accordance with international practice and as the Swiss representatives in France were permitted to represent American interests there.
Action was then initiated to assemble French personnel in one place for security reasons and in preparation of their exchange for American official personnel in France. A number of the French were known to be Allied sympathizers and some to be willing and able effectively to serve the Allied cause. Accordingly, it was not necessary nor desirable to subject them to confinement.
The Hershey Hotel at Hershey, Pennsylvania, was selected for the assembling and safeguarding of the other French personnel, of doubtful or unknown attachment to the Allied cause. It comprises persons who, like the ex-Ambassador, desire to return to France, and those who do not wish to return and whose disposition must be decided upon following examination of their cases with respect to their political sentiments and activities. That examination is going on, being at present conducted by Departmental representatives at Hershey. The results should be available in a week’s time.
[Page 375]The number of French persons removed to Hershey and now detained there is as follows:
| Officials and Employees | Dependents | |
| French Embassy | 18 | 15 |
| French Consulates | 29 | 32 |
| 47 | 47 | |
| Total—94 persons | ||
American Personnel in France:
Upon the rupture of relations, the United States had the following official personnel in France:
| Officers | Employees | Dependents | |
| Embassy, Vichy | 8 | 24 | 22 |
| Consulates at Marseille, Lyon and Nice | 5 | 17 | 19 |
| 13 | 41 | 41 | |
| Total—95 persons | |||
To be assimilated to and included with the official personnel, as customary for exchange purposes, there were the following additional categories:
| American Red Cross | 15 | |
| American Press | 10 | Plus 8 dependents |
| Total—33 persons | ||
| Grand Total—128 persons | ||
While the Department has not yet received complete information promised by the American Legation at Bern, it appears from preliminary reports that 68 of the Americans were taken to Lourdes, France, on November 11 and lodged under guard in four hotels there. These comprised nearly all of the Embassy personnel including the Naval and Military Attachés’ staffs and the press representatives.
In addition, the Italians have taken and are holding the American Consul at Monaco.
Exchange Negotiations:
On November 17 the Department telegraphed the Legation at Bern8 to ascertain from the Swiss Government whether the American personnel in France might proceed to Lisbon to remain there under guarantee of the Portuguese Government pending exchange. The Swiss Government reported message delivered to French Government November 23.8
[Page 376]Department again telegraphed November 309 stating it was prepared to make exchange and desired Swiss Government’s suggestions with respect to arrangements that might be made therefor. Reply of December 49 stated Swiss Minister at Vichy reported French Government was unable to consider possibility of authorizing departure of American officials from France so long as no information was available concerning members of the Algerian Armistice Commission and the German Consul at Algiers.
Swiss Government again telegraphed December 79 indicating its willingness to approach the French Government with proposal that American and French personnel be immediately evacuated to Lisbon for exchange under responsibility of the Portuguese Government, United States to arrange transportation with French officials to Lisbon.
The Department replied on December 109 stating its willingness to give earnest consideration to any proposal the Swiss Government might wish to make looking toward early repatriation of the American personnel in France and saying that on November 17 it had requested its Legation at Lisbon to ascertain whether the Portuguese Government would be willing to provide the necessary guarantee for the exchange on its territory.
The inquiry of the French Government, referred to above, concerning the Algerian Armistice Commission and the German Consul at Algiers, indicates the probability that the French Government, under German coercion, will insist that the exchange include captured German and Italian members of the Commission and the German Consul. The Department is endeavoring to obtain complete information regarding these Germans and Italians. A number of the German and Italian officials are known to have escaped to Spanish Morocco, Spain and France, and some were killed incidental to military operations at the time of the American landing. Nine (Germans) have been brought to the United States. The following captured Germans and Italians, including families, are reported to be in England in the custody of American military authorities there:
| Germans | Italians | |
| Armistice Commission | 37 | 202 |
| Consular | 20 | 7 |
| 57 | 209 | |
| Total—266 | ||
Arrangements have been made to hold the captured Germans and Italians for use for exchange purposes, should that become necessary. The legal authorities in the War and State Departments are inclined [Page 377] to the opinion that this personnel may be held as prisoners of war and, therefore, not entitled to repatriation, unless our Government should exceptionally consent.
Status of Exchange:
The Department is examining the French personnel to decide who are to return to Vichy. The indications are that there will be very few who wish to return and who should be returned.
It is gathering information regarding the German and Italian personnel captured in North Africa, against the possibility that the French Government will demand their inclusion in the exchange.
It has asked and is awaiting advice from the Swiss Government as to arrangements that Government may make with the French Government for the return of the American personnel.