Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1942, General; the British Commonwealth; the Far East, Volume I

701.9411/1571: Telegram

The Chargé in Switzerland (Huddle) to the Secretary of State

Bern, January 5, 1942.
[Received January 5—8:15 p.m.]

45. American interests—Japan. Following is text (French translation) telegram dated December 30 from Swiss Legation Tokyo as furnished by Swiss Foreign Office of official Japanese reply to Department’s proposal for exchange official personnel:

“Japanese note dated December 30 contains four points as follows:

• First. The Imperial Government accepts American proposition of mutually sending ships to Lourenço Marques, each Government taking upon itself cost of sending a ship to that port.
• Second. With regard to persons to be exchanged see note annexed hereto.
• Third. Although Japanese interests in Hawaii have been entrusted to Sweden, Japanese Government desires to establish likewise an arrangement in principle with American Government by intermediary of Swiss Government for evacuation of members of Japanese Consulate and other Japanese in Hawaii toward which it desires to proceed along same lines and at same time as evacuation of diplomatic and consular personnel et cetera who are in United States and in Philippines. Japanese Government is very desirous to be informed of opinion of Swiss and American Governments in that connection.
• Fourth. The Imperial Government will also communicate foregoing to American Government by intermediary of Spain which represents Japanese interests in United States.

Annexed note worded as follows with omission of unnecessary words:

• Section 1. Personnel to be exchanged.
  • First. Japanese Government and American Government will mutually exchange from the Japanese who are in United States including Hawaii and Philippines and the Americans who are in Japan, Manchukuo and occupied China respectively:

    (a) All the members, including the members hors cadre and employees of the Embassies, Legations and Consulates, the officials and persons similar to officials whether or not en mission to Japan, to Manchukuo in occupied China or United States of America as well as their families and servants.

    (b) As for persons who are not officials, for this one occasion, temporary residents and among the permanent residents the women and children who desire to return to their country as well as those in special circumstances. All the persons who come within the two above mentioned categories will be exchanged without limit as to their number and without question of their usefulness for the prosecution of the war. The number of Japanese in category (b) to be evacuated from the United States, Hawaii and Philippines will be less than 300.

  • Second. The two Governments will recognize following exceptions for exchange of persons covered by (a) of preceding paragraph:

    (a) For persons who find it difficult or impossible to return to their country for one reason or another such as illness of themselves of [or] their families, authorization to be accorded to the sick persons or their families to continue their stay, conjointly or separately.

    (b) For persons who shall have been appointed to another country mutually to permit them to proceed directly to their new posts and to give them safe conduct, and for persons appointed in a third country who are in one of the two countries away from their posts, permission to be granted them to return to their posts giving them safe conduct, independently of the other persons to be exchanged.

    (c) For members hors cadre and for employees hired locally who desire to remain permission to be granted them for their continued stay.

• Section 2. Place and method of exchange.
  • First. The exchange of persons at Lourenço Marques will take place in presence of representatives of the countries assuming protection of interests of two parties.
  • Second. Japanese Government will send directly to Lourenço Marques a Japanese ship to carry there at its expense the Americans to be exchanged. American Government at its expense will send there the Japanese to be exchanged.
  • Third. American Government will give assurance of safety for round trip of ship sent by Japanese Government and will procure in addition for the ship an assurance of safety from all countries in a state of war or who have broken diplomatic relations with Japan. Japanese Government will give assurance of safety for round trip of ship which carries persons to be exchanged, Japanese and Americans, and will obtain in addition for the ship assurance of safety from all countries allied with Japan.
• Section 3. Facilities given at time of exchange.
  • First. Persons to be exchanged will be permitted to carry with them money for which they will have need on the boat and elsewhere until their arrival at place of exchange.
  • Second. Persons of category (a) section 1, first paragraph, including those persons who are absent will be permitted the transportation to their country of their ‘baggages demenagement’ (Swiss Foreign Office is telegraphing Tokyo for exact meaning) without having to pay any tax or duty thereon and being required only to submit a statement of contents of such baggage.
• Section 4. At the moment of the exchange with United States of America, Japanese Government desires to proceed to a block exchange of diplomats and other persons with the countries which are in a state of war or which have broken diplomatic relations with Japan. Toward this end it will send to Lourenço Marques on above mentioned Japanese ship the persons to be exchanged by said countries. American Government therefore will provide facilities for the Japanese coming from the countries of Central and South America as well as from Canada, the Dutch Indies, et cetera which have declared war on Japan or have broken diplomatic relations with Japan.”¹⁴

Huddle

14. In telegram No. 29, January 20, 1942, to the Ambassador in Cuba, this paragraph was quoted for the information of the Cuban Government; it was added that this Government is maintaining the position set forth in paragraph 11 of its telegram No. 405, December 26, 1941, to Bern, p. 382. The same telegram, mutatis mutandis, was sent to the Embassies in Panama (No. 52), Mexico (No. 99), Venezuela (No. 40), Colombia (No. 74), and to the Legations in Costa Rica (No. 26), the Dominican Republic (No. 13), Haiti (No. 19), El Salvador (No. 17), Guatemala (No. 32), Nicaragua (No. 31), and Honduras (No. 20).