740.00115 European War 1939/7127: Circular telegram
The Secretary of State to Certain Diplomatic Representatives in the American Republics 48
Reference is made to the Department’s airmail instructions of October 6, 194349 and previous regarding repatriation of officials and assimilated nationals of the American Republics held by the German Government.
- 1.
- As will have been noted from the above-mentioned correspondence the German non-officials now interned in the United States considered for exchange are those who arrived in the United States prior to July 1942 and whose repatriation was interrupted by the withdrawal by the German Government of safe conduct for the exchange vessel. Among this group may be a very few wives and children who are native-born citizens of the other American Republics and who presumably came to this country with full intent to accompany the head of the family to Germany. The Department assumes that the other American Republics would have no objection to any of their nationals voluntarily proceeding to Germany with the head of the family.
- 2.
- The Department proposes in cases where a man or woman of German birth is in possession of both a German passport and a passport of one of the American Republics to seize the latter passport for return to the Government concerned.
The Department would appreciate immediate confirmation of the concurrence of the other American Republics with regard to paragraphs 1 and 2 above together with an indication regarding the type [Page 118] of documents which they would wish withheld from their nationals (among the women and children) at the time of their departure for Germany. For your information, security measures and censorship regulations limit the documents which persons proceeding to enemy-occupied territories may take with them. Accordingly Department is permitting the German nationals to take only passports, identification documents in lieu of passports and birth certificates.