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

341D.1115/29: Airgram

The Secretary of State to the Consul at Dublin (Styles)

Washington, May 9, 1944—11:50 a.m.

A–30. Your despatch no. 1737, March 25, 1944.¹⁶ Department has decided as an exceptional measure to authorize loans in emergency cases and to a limited extent only to destitute American nationals in Eire (Ireland) under the procedure set forth in the Department’s instruction no. 1202, February 14, 1942, as amended,¹⁷ to the American Legation, Bern, a copy of which was enclosed with circular instruction of January 22, 1944 (Foreign Service Serial no. 109).

Eire is temporarily classified as Class I, the basic maximum for which is $60 monthly.

An allotment of $500 is hereby authorized for the remainder of the current fiscal year for financial assistance to destitute American nationals in Eire, and for their repatriation as provided by Department’s circular instruction of August 12, 1941 (Diplomatic Serial No. 3382).¹⁸ No funds may be expended under this authorization for the financial assistance or repatriation of any alien relatives of American nationals. Payments shall not be made to or for the benefit of any American national who fails to return to the United States aboard the first vessel on which passage is available. Transportation for the repatriation of destitute American nationals under this authorization shall be limited to third-class or other cheapest available minimum passage to the United States.

Whenever there are disbursements, draw separate drafts and render separate accounts charging Authorization no. 13, 1943–1944 in accordance with Section V–8, Note 2, Foreign Service Regulations.

You are authorized to make suballotments, if necessary, from this allotment to the other American consular offices in Eire. Vouchers covering all their disbursements for this purpose will be furnished to the Consulate General for inclusion in its special accounts to the Department.

A basic principle of Department’s instruction 1202 to Legation, Bern, is to expedite extension of financial assistance by the designation of a central office in the field:

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

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

The Consulate General is hereby designated as the central office in Eire and will accept and decide upon all applications submitted by American nationals within its immediate jurisdiction. It will also review and render decision upon applications submitted to the other consular offices in Eire, all of which are to be forwarded to it. The Consulate General will endorse all applications to show, in case of review, its concurrence in or reversal of the decision made by the initiating office, and, in other cases, its decision. It will then forward all applications to the Department. Upon receipt of the application the Department will approve or disapprove but will communicate its decision to the Consulate General only in case of disapproval. Payment in case of disapproval by the Department shall cease as of the date of the receipt by the Consulate General of an instruction containing the disapproval but the validity of payments previously made shall not be affected, provided that total disbursements for financial assistance and repatriation shall not exceed allotments made for that purpose.

For the purposes of financial assistance in Eire, the provisions of Department’s instruction 1202 are to be considered as modified by omitting all reference to the Swiss Government or Swiss representatives and to the American Legation, Bern. So far as the situation or the context of that instruction permits, the Consulate General will perform the functions performed by the American Legation, Bern, under Department’s 1202, and the consular officers extending financial assistance will perform the functions carried out by the Swiss in enemy and enemy-occupied territory. The Consulate General will point out to the consular officers under its jurisdiction the necessity for very careful study of the provisions of Department’s 1202 as amended.

Estimates of the amounts which will be required under this instruction for the period ending June 30, 1944 and for the period July 1 to December 31, 1944 by the consular offices in Eire should be submitted promptly by the Consulate General.

The Department has ascertained informally that the supplies shipped by the American Red Cross to the Irish Red Cross are not intended for general civilian relief but for special emergency purposes only.

Attention is especially invited to the provisions of paragraph 4 of Department’s 1202 which direct that the receipts for loans should indicate the evidence of American nationality borne by recipients of payments and the names and addresses of persons, firms or organizations to whom the United States Government may look for reimbursement of the sums advanced.

Hull

16. Not printed.
17. See footnote 3, p. 1192.
18. Foreign Relations, 1941, vol. i, p. 413.