Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, General, Volume I

340.1115a/3343: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Acting American Representative to the French Committee of National Liberation at Algiers (Chapin)

Washington, January 31, 1944.

331. Your despatch 16, December 4, and telegram 122, January 12.⁸

1. A basic principle of Department’s instruction 1202 February 14, 1942, to Legation Bern⁹ is to expedite extension of financial assistance by the designation of a central office in the field:

(a) to review applications granted on the spot (those covered by paragraph 10 of 1202); and

(b) to render decisions on all other applications (paragraph 11 of 1202).

Such centralization also assures a uniform and consistent application of 1202 within a given area.

2. Department wishes to designate one such Central Office in each liberated country. Central Office will accept and decide upon all applications submitted by American nationals within its immediate jurisdiction. It will also review or render decision upon applications submitted to other offices in the same country, all of which are to be forwarded to the Central Office. Central Office will endorse all applications to show, in case of review, its concurrence in or reversal of decision taken by initiating office and, in other cases, its decision. Central Office will then forward endorsed applications to Department as provided by paragraph 2 of Department’s 2188, November 18.¹⁰

3. Qualified American nationals on lists received from Swiss representatives pursuant to paragraph 4 (b) of memorandum of December 15 transmitted with Department’s instruction to Murphy¹¹ of December 27¹² may be considered in same category as applicants covered by paragraph 10 of 1202.

4. If you believe that Palermo,¹³ for the time being, is best situated to serve as Central Office for liberated Italy, you are hereby authorized so to designate it and to instruct Palermo in foregoing sense.

5. At the appropriate time, there should be similarly designated a Central Office for liberated France, financial assistance having already been authorized in Tunisia (Department’s 11, September 4, to Tunis¹⁴) and Corsica (Department’s 83, December 7, to you¹⁵). Your recommendations in that respect are requested. If you consider it desirable, you may authorize Tunis to continue to function independently.

Hull

8. Neither printed.
9. Foreign Relations, 1942, vol. i, p. 262.
10. Ibid., 1943, vol. i, p. 130.
11. Robert D. Murphy, American representative on the Advisory Council for Italy.
12. Foreign Relations, 1943, vol. i, p. 131.
13. The Consulate at Palermo was opened to the public on February 11, 1944.
14. Foreign Relations, 1943, vol. i, p. 125.
15. Not printed; authorization was granted to direct a Foreign Service Officer for a brief period to Corsica to perform limited consular duties in connection with welfare and whereabouts of American citizens there (125.1336/129).