390.1115/2891: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Harrison)
1029. American interests—Japan, Philippine welfare inquiries. Your 1508, 14th.95 Department greatly appreciates action Swiss Minister at Tokyo in obtaining information regarding Americans in Manila.
Department will hold individual Philippine inquiries to minimum and continue to refer inquiries generally to Red Cross. However, Department considers Japanese Government obligated by its engagement to apply the Prisoners of War Convention96 to civilian internees to furnish this Government with information concerning the welfare of such internees. Report is urgently desired in regard to conditions under which Americans are interned at Manila, and in particular in regard to welfare of American Government personnel at Manila.
- Not printed; it reported that messages on Americans in Manila had been received by the Swiss Legation at Tokyo from the Japanese Foreign Office and that information regarding Americans in other occupied areas of the Philippines might eventually be obtained through the same channels if inquiries were not numerous.↩
- Signed at Geneva, July 27, 1929, Foreign Relations, 1929, vol. i, p. 336.↩