701.0090/1758: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Harrison)
2013. American interests Far East—repatriation. For confidential information and guidance of Minister Gorgé:
Department notes that Japanese Government as reported in your 4933 August 13 is opposing repatriation of certain United States nationals who have been named for repatriation by the Swiss representatives in charge of our interests. Department notes furthermore that Swiss Minister Tokyo is vigorously placing before Japanese Government fact that these nationals of United States are willing and capable of being repatriated.
Please have expressed to Swiss Minister Tokyo Department’s appreciation of his efforts. It should be made clear to him for use in connection therewith that the United States Government has made available for repatriation all the Japanese aliens whose repatriation has been requested by the Japanese Government and who themselves would agree to be repatriated. It has made freely available to the Spanish representatives of Japanese interests the opportunity to interview the Japanese named for repatriation individually and privately in order to verify their wishes. Department expects that Minister Gorgé and his colleagues will be permitted by the Japanese Government to exercise full reciprocity in this respect.
[Page 909]The persons named for repatriation by the Swiss representatives acting in behalf of this Government were selected in accordance with broad humanitarian directives which the Swiss were given discretion in applying. The persons named by the Swiss whose repatriation the Japanese apparently wish to oppose include individuals who have been imprisoned since December 7, 1941, continuously and without being permitted to see a representative of the Protecting Power and without other facilities to which they are entitled under a reciprocal application of the terms of the Geneva Prisoner of War Convention which the Japanese Government voluntarily agreed to apply to civilians detained by them.90 Among the American nationals excluded by the Japanese Government are other meritorious cases of persons who should by all rules of humanitarianism and of justice be repatriated. United States Government confidently expects the repatriation of all such persons in reciprocity for its action in repatriating Japanese nationals without exception upon the basis of the expressed wishes of the Japanese Government and without reference to the wishes of this Government.
The Department relies upon Minister Gorgé to exercise the discretionary authority which it has conferred upon him with the understanding that he may concur in such unavoidable substitutions in the Americans to be repatriated as he may find absolutely essential in order to prevent further delay or a failure of the exchange. The Department would appreciate receiving for its information urgent reports of all necessary changes in the lists as compiled by the Swiss representatives giving specifically in each case the reasons which are felt to justify exclusion from the forthcoming exchange.
- See telegram No. 733, February 24, 1942, from the Minister in Switzerland, Foreign Relations, 1942, vol. i, p. 799.↩