124.94/111a: Telegram
The Secretary of
State to the Chargé in Switzerland (Huddle)
Washington, December 18, 1941.
329. American interests. Please express to Swiss Government this
Government’s appreciation of its message expressing willingness to
undertake the representation of American interests in
Japanese-occupied territories and, when necessary, in other regions
of the Far East.12
Department would be grateful if Swiss Government would by telegraph
circularize to its representatives in the Far East, for the
information of such American diplomatic or consular offices as may
by reason of the present situation find it impossible to carry on
their functions or to communicate with the Department, the following
message (in substance already communicated to Embassy
Chungking,13 which endeavored
without success to repeat it to the offices concerned):
- “1. In the event of a sudden emergency, when
communications with the Department are broken or
uncertain, officers shall be guided by the following
instructions with respect to Government property,
archives, leases, alien employees, the evacuation of the
American members of the staff, et cetera.
- 2. If travel orders for officers and American
employees have not been received, Department hereby
authorizes expenditures, in accordance with the travel
regulations, for: traveling expenses (travel by air is
included in this authorization); per diem; and, if
possible, shipment of effects. Action upon this
authorization shall be within the discretion of the
Chief of Mission or principal consular officer and shall
apply to all officers and American employees of this
Government and to their wives and minor children. Unless
regular travel orders have been received (in which
event, the appropriation for ‘Transportation, Foreign
Service’ is charged), the expenditures hereinabove
authorized shall be charged to Authorization no. 11–1942
and officers shall draw separate drafts and render
separate accounts. Nothing in this paragraph shall be
construed as relieving the Japanese Government of the
obligation, recognized in international usage, to
provide for such official groups proper transportation
from their posts to a point beyond the Japanese
frontiers, and the provisions of this paragraph are not
applicable to transportation expenses within Japan or
within territories occupied or controlled by Japan
unless the Japanese Government fails to observe that
obligation.
- 3. At the expiration of 30 days’ leave, less any leave
taken previously in the calendar year, the services of
alien personnel should be terminated (except as
hereinafter provided in numbered paragraph 4). Leave
shall commence on the day following the effective date
of the closing of the office unless the further services
of such aliens are required, in which event leave shall
commence within 2 weeks after date of closing. For each
alien employee, report date of termination of services
and dates of leave. The Department reminds officers that
no salary payments may be made in advance. Department
will endeavor to arrange for payment after the officers’
departure. The provisions of this paragraph are not
intended as a limitation upon the right of the Power
representing American interests to re-employ at the
expense of the American Government any such alien
personnel as the representing Power may consider
necessary in connection with the representation of
American interests.
- 4. At posts where this Government owns the office
and/or residence, it is suggested that officers (in
consultation with the representatives of the Power
assuming the representation of American interests)
arrange to leave custodians of the premises, retaining
one or more trustworthy alien employees for that
purpose. Their salaries as custodians would be at the
same rate they were receiving in their previous
capacities at the time of the closing of their offices.
The Department would endeavor, by such means as might be
available, to make arrangements to pay their salaries
and to provide funds for the maintenance of the
buildings. All such custodians should be instructed to
confine their activities strictly to the guardianship of
this Government’s property and to refrain from any
activities, however informal, that might possibly be
interpreted as being outside of their custodial
functions.
- 5. At posts where offices are leased, the Chief of
Mission or the principal consular officer shall, within
his discretion, determine whether it is preferable to
retain the premises or to terminate the lease and store
this Government’s property in commercial warehouses.
Depending
[Page 381]
upon
the time at their disposal and the availability of such
warehouses, officers should endeavor to make the most
economical arrangements compatible with the security of
the property concerned. If the premises must be
retained, officers should endeavor to obtain a reduction
in the amount of the rental and should determine whether
this Government’s property in such premises may be
entrusted to the landlords or whether it is essential to
retain custodians.
- 6. This Government’s property, mentioned above,
includes furniture, equipment, and the non-confidential
archives. Such archives should be sealed, whether stored
in the premises or at commercial warehouses.
- 7. Officers shall destroy all seals, codes, ciphers,
true readings, protectograph dies, confidential files,
et cetera. Fee stamps should be destroyed by burning in
the presence of at least two competent witnesses, who
shall prepare affidavits concerning the
destruction.
- 8. All passports (whether valid or invalid), extra
visa pages, certificates of naturalization, and
certificates of registration and identity (whether blank
or filled in) shall be thoroughly mutilated and then
burned. The first page of every passport should be
retained for delivery to the Department. A complete list
of all documents destroyed except passports should be
prepared, with identifying data to whatever extent
possible. Officers shall in no event attempt to bring
with them any of the documents or supplies mentioned
above, except the first pages of the passports.
- 9. In Government-owned premises or in leased premises
that are retained, officers or American employees may
store their personal effects. If such storage space is
not available, local storage charges will be paid by
Department.
- 10. Forms 285 and 298 should, if possible, be
submitted after the office is closed. The effective date
of closing the office should be communicated by
telegraph to the Department.
- 11. If an office representing foreign interests has
not received instructions from the Department concerning
their disposition, the representative of the Power
assuming the representation of American interests should
be requested provisionally to assume also the
representation of such foreign interests, until such
time as he may receive through his own government
information concerning their disposition.
- 12. In connection with authorizations to draw drafts
and to make payments to individuals against deposits
made with the Department, each office should at the time
of closing immediately inform the Department of all
cases of non-compliance, stating amounts and
beneficiaries and citing the numbers and dates of
relevant instructions.”
If the American officers for whom the foregoing message is intended
should by force of circumstances find it impossible to give effect
to its provisions, this Government would be grateful if the Swiss
diplomatic and consular officers charged with the representation of
American interests in the Far East might be authorized to accept the
message for their own guidance. Please so inform the Swiss
Government.
