740.00114A Pacific War/161a:
Telegram
The Acting Secretary of
State to the Minister in Switzerland (Harrison)
Washington, August 29, 1942.
2061. Please ask Swiss Foreign Office telegraph Swiss Minister Tokyo
urgently to deliver following message to Japanese Government on
behalf of United States Government and endeavor obtain prompt reply:
- “1. The Japanese Government has agreed to apply the
provisions of the Geneva Prisoners of War Convention of
1929 to American prisoners of war and civilian
internees. Article 37 of that Convention provides for
the receipt by prisoners of supplies of food and
clothing supplemental to those which it is the duty of
the detaining power to furnish, in as much as it states
that prisoners shall be allowed to receive parcels
intended to supply them with food or clothing. It
further states that such parcels shall be delivered to
the prisoners.
- 2. The American Red Cross assumed that the Japanese
Government would grant safe conduct for a Red Cross ship
to transport supplemental supplies of food and clothing
destined to American and other prisoners of war and
civilian internees in Japanese custody as German and
Italian Governments have done and are continuing to do
for supplies being sent for prisoners and internees in
their custody. Accordingly, the American Red Cross
chartered the neutral Swedish motorship Kanangoora to carry such supplies
and the ship is now ready to sail from San Francisco
with the supplies. It is to be operated by the
International Red Cross Committee, a representative of
which, who will be a citizen of a neutral country, will
be the only person on board besides the Swedish citizens
composing the crew.
- 3. The American Red Cross has requested, through the
channels of the International Red Cross Committee, the
consent of the Japanese Government for the voyage of the
ship to Manila via Kobe, Shanghai and Hong Kong, with
the supplies. The United States Government also has
officially asked for that consent through the channels
of the Swiss Government representing the interests of
the United States in Japan. Through both channels the
Japanese Government has now replied refusing such
consent.51 It states that it does not
object, however,
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to such shipments on vessels exchanging Japanese and
United States nationals at Lourenço Marques.
- 4. The motorship Gripsholm used
by the United States Government in the exchange of
Japanese and Americans at Lourenço Marques does not have
sufficient cargo carrying capacity to transport the
amount of supplies which it is desired to send to
prisoners and internees in the Far East. Moreover, the
exchange ship does not provide a means of continued
transportation of such supplies. Additional shipping
must therefore be employed if the prisoners and
internees are to receive supplementary supplies as
provided for by the Convention.
- 5. If the Japanese Government will not permit the Kanangoora to proceed on its
proposed voyage to the Far East with the supplies in
question, then the United States Government proposes
that the Japanese Government agree that the Kanangoora or other Red Cross
ship shall proceed from the United States with the
supplies to Macao or to Lourenço Marques, to which port
the Japanese Government will similarly send a Red Cross
ship to receive the supplies and transport them for
delivery to the prisoners and internees. The United
States Government desires to point out in this
connection that it is incumbent upon the Japanese
Government to facilitate by whatever means may be
available, the delivery of parcels intended for
prisoners in fulfillment of the obligation of the
detaining power to allow prisoners to receive parcels
and to deliver the parcels to them as provided by
Article 37 of the Geneva Prisoners of War Convention.
The United States Government, while looking to the
Japanese Government to fulfill its obligations under the
Convention in this matter, is fully conscious of its own
obligations thereunder.”
