548.G1/180
Memorandum by Mr. George L. Brandt, Executive Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State (Long)
Subject: Proposed Joint Declaration of United States and European Allies to Give Assurance for Repatriation of European Refugees upon the Termination of the War
Prior to initialing the attached draft telegram to the Embassy at London57 on the above matter, Dr. Bowman58 raised with Mr. Long and Mr. Brandt the question whether the declaration contemplated the repatriation of Quislings or other traitors, as for example, in the [Page 188] case of a Quisling who had fled from Belgium to Spain. It was agreed that the declaration would not cover such persons in as much as they would not be considered as persons displaced from their native country “and who have sought refuge in other countries, because of persecution on account of their race or their religious or political beliefs”, in the language of the declaration, the emphasis being primarily on the word “persecution”. The case of any person claiming repatriation under the terms of the declaration would be subject to examination.