Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1943, The British Commonwealth, Eastern Europe, the Far East, Volume III

740.00115A Pacific War/512: Telegram

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

Washington, August 18, 1943.

1979. Your 4245, July 17.

1. Express gratitude of Department and Red Gross for successful efforts of Minister Gorgé in opening a channel for sending funds to American nationals detained in Philippine Islands. Request for supplies is being met substantially by shipment on Gripsholm.⁴²

2. From funds made available for representation of American interests, Department authorizes the Swiss Government to make remittances to the internees’ Executive Committees of the American internment camps in the Philippines under the following conditions:

(a) Beginning with current month or as soon as feasible thereafter, the sum of not exceeding $25,000 per month may be remitted to the Santo Tomas internment camp for the purposes listed in your 4245 and for so long as the number of American internees and number of members of their families at liberty remain materially unchanged.

(b) Additional remittances to other internment camps in Philippines authorized on basis of proportionate number of American nationals benefitting therefrom as compared with those at Santo Tomas for whom assistance is approved herein.

(c) Funds delivered to the Executive Committees should be used (1) for the purchase of available supplies considered necessary for supplementation of the diet provided by the Japanese authorities, (2) for the payment of essential services obtained outside of camp, and (3) to provide each internee with a small amount of money for personal use.

(d) From funds delivered, Executive Committees may advance funds, against promissory notes if possible, to indigent internees for delivery to members of their families at liberty.

3. The Executive Committees should acknowledge receipt each month of funds transferred and as soon as possible after receipt of first month’s remittance should report what amounts from that month’s funds were used for purposes listed in sections (c) and (d) of Paragraph 2. Report should include breakdown of amounts used by Committees in purchasing food, clothing, medical supplies, and comfort articles for general distribution in camp.

4. Swiss Legation at Tokyo should be requested to report by telegraph how funds are used during first month in each camp and thereafter monthly the amounts remitted to each internment camp in Philippines.

5. Swiss Legation should also be requested to report what kind of accounting system is put into effect to assure receipt of funds by internees and their proper utilization.

6. Department assumes that statement “Japanese in principle agreed payment similar relief Americans interned other parts Philippines” means that similar payments may also be made to American prisoners of war in Philippines, presumably through Committees headed by camp leaders. Endeavor confirm this assumption at early date.

7. Please request that Swiss Minister at Tokyo telegraph when these instructions received and his views as to when remittances under this authorization may be expected to begin.

8. The above procedure is provisionally an exception to Department’s instruction 1202 of February 14, 1942⁴³ since it appears that neither criteria nor procedure prescribed therein can be applied at present in Philippines.

Hull

42. Vessel chartered by United States Government for effecting exchange of American and Japanese nationals.
43. Foreign Relations, 1942, vol. i, p. 262.