740.00114 Pacific War/133: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Harrison)

393. American interests—China.6 Your 731, February 1st.7

  • Paragraph 1: Advances without notes are hereby provisionally authorized wherever essential to welfare of prisoners. However, Swiss representatives should if possible obtain some form of evidence that funds actually reach prisoners. Department would prefer simple group receipt authorized by paragraph 15 of instruction 1202, February 14 [, 1942,]8 and believes that Japanese Government should be requested to authorize that form of receipt. As alternative, senior officer should at least be permitted to acknowledge receipt of each lump sum advanced by Swiss representative.
  • Paragraph 2: The Swiss representatives should inform Japanese authorities that this Government takes a serious view of their refusal to permit Swiss representatives to interview internees without witnesses.

As a practice this is contrary to the provisions of Article 86 of the Geneva Prisoners of War Convention9 and is not in accord with the practice of this Government which without exception permits the representatives of the Spanish Embassy charged with the representation [Page 1016] of Japanese interests in the continental United States to interview Japanese nationals without witnesses. The Swiss representatives should urge the Japanese Government to grant reciprocal treatment. The Department desires to be informed of the result of these representations.

Hull
  1. Relief assistance was also made available to American nationals in Far Eastern areas not occupied by Japan. In telegram No. 1264, December 24, 1942, to the Ambassador in China, the Department authorized loans “as an exceptional measure” to Americans in unoccupied China (390.1115A/1287). In telegrams No. 1733, December 14, 1942, and No. 326, March 2, 1943, to the Minister in Portugal, the Department advised that a total of $20,000 was being turned over to the British Foreign Office to cover expenditures by British consular officials in Macau for relief of American nationals, including Philippine citizens, there (390.1115A/1320, 1370). In airgram No. 235, January 9, 1943, to the Minister in Portugal, the Department stated that funds had been made available to reimburse the Portuguese Government for expenditures made by the Governor of Macau in extending relief to destitute Americans there (390.1115A/1348a).
  2. Not printed.
  3. Foreign Relations, 1942, vol. i, p. 262.
  4. Signed July 27, 1929, ibid., 1929, vol. i, pp. 336, 357.