740.00114A European War 1939/353b
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Harrison)
Washington, May 1,
1943.
1037. American interests—camp reports. Request Swiss Legations in Berlin, Rome, and Tokyo to report whatever information they may have concerning labor performed by American prisoners of war and civilian internees. Following points are made for the guidance of Swiss in preparing these reports and future reports of visits to camps:
- 1.
- Are civilian internees required to perform labor without their consent?
- 2.
- Are non-commissioned officers used in other than supervisory capacity without their consent? Are officers required to perform labor?
- 3.
- Are officers and civilian internees given gainful employment if they volunteer? If so, what is the nature of the employment?
- 4.
- How many men are absent from the camp to perform labor? Into how many groups have they been divided?
- 5.
- In a camp where men return to camp each evening, specify number of men who generally go out in work parties.
- 6.
- Who determines which prisoners of war must work and which need not work? Has this official any rules which he must follow in making his decision? What are those rules?
- 7.
- What official is charged with the responsibility of seeing that the standards of the Geneva Prisoners of War Convention as well as those set up by the detaining Power are met?
- 8.
- Where is labor performed?
- 9.
- What kind of labor is performed?
- 10.
- Under what industrial, sanitary and climatic conditions is labor performed?
- 11.
- Does the detaining Power provide food, clothing and medical care to the prisoners as contemplated by the Geneva Prisoners of War Convention? Does the detaining Power make employers responsible for the observation of these sections of the Convention?
- 12.
- What provision is made for the religious and recreational needs of the men in labor groups who do not return to the base camp each night?
- 13.
- What are the hours of labor? On how many days per week is labor not required?
- 14.
- What wages are paid? Are these wages larger or smaller than payment prescribed by Article 34 of Geneva Convention?
- 15.
- How much of the wages are paid in cash? In script?
- 16.
- How much of the wages are deducted for maintenance?
- 17.
- What can the men buy with funds given them?
Hull