Office of the Historian

840.48 Refugees/9–2244: Telegram

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

Washington, October 5, 1944—11 p.m.

3427. The following for Harrison and McClelland is WRB 191. You may request Swiss Foreign Office to inform Hungarian authorities, with reference to your 6292 of September 22,20 that the Swedish Government in charge of Hungarian interests in the United States has always been afforded every opportunity to extend its protection to each individual in the United States who has claimed to be a Hungarian national. At no time has the United States Government limited [Page 1163] the Swedish Legation in the discharge of its protective functions in respect of any individual claiming Hungarian citizenship.

There is no reason to believe that any other American Republic would take a position differing in any way from the foregoing position of the United States.

Kindly inform the Hungarian officials through available informal channels that this Government considers the Hungarian inquiry as specious and made in an endeavor to gain time. This Government will hold such officials personally accountable should harm befall any person claiming the nationality of an American Republic as the result of failure of the Hungarian Government to accord him the rights and privileges due to a national thereof. Such officials should be so informed. The sense of paragraph 3 of the Department’s 2490 of July 21 should also be conveyed in this connection to the appropriate Hungarian quarters.

Hull
  1. Not printed; it referred to paragraph 7 of Department’s telegram 2407, July 13 (p. 1094), and reported receipt of a note from the Swiss Foreign Office dated September 16, The Swiss note reported that the Hungarian Government had been informed of the pertinent portions of Department’s telegram 2407 regarding the extension of Swiss protection to all persons in Hungary bearing passports issued by any of the American Republics, and that the Hungarian Foreign Office had inquired whether the Governments requesting this treatment guaranteed to accord reciprocity to Hungary. (840.48 Refugees/9–2244)↩