340.1115A/7–1444: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union ( Harriman )
1700. Department’s 1643, July 7.20 You are authorized to extend financial assistance in areas occupied or which may be occupied by the forces of the Soviet Union, to qualified American nationals in accordance with Department’s instruction 1202, February 14, 1942 as amended (copy of which was enclosed with Foreign Service Serial 109, January 22, 1944) but as modified by the provisions of this telegram and by omission of references to Swiss authorities or American Legation, Bern. So far as the situation or the context of instruction 1202 permits with respect to financial assistance you will perform functions such as are performed by Swiss in enemy and enemy-occupied territory and the duties performed by American Legation, Bern, in connection therewith. Your decisions on financial assistance should be reported promptly by air mail to Department which will inform you only in case of reversal.
Such areas are provisionally classified as Class I, maximum $60, under Department’s 1202. As indicated in paragraph eight of that instruction, it is expected that whenever possible the actual sums advanced will be less than permitted maximum, and such advances should never be more than enough to provide for minimum essential needs. Please investigate adequacy of this maximum for such occupied areas and submit recommendation if you believe it should be increased.
[Page 1198]Submit estimate of amount required for financial assistance under this instruction for first 6 months fiscal year 1944–1945 with expected number of recipients and estimated amount required monthly for each. Upon receipt of your estimate Department will make allotment funds to you with instructions regarding accounting therefor.
Keep Department informed of developments respecting financial assistance and continued necessity of such assistance.
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Not printed; it listed Americans reported by the Legation at Helsinki who were understood to have been in territory recently occupied by Soviet forces (340.1115/62424a).
Lists of American citizens and their dependents reported to be residing in Rumania, Hungary and the southern section of Czechoslovakia and of American prisoners of war in Rumania were delivered to the Soviet Foreign Office under cover of note of June 13, according to telegram 2120, June 13, 1944, midnight, from Moscow (340.1115A/3386).
In telegram 1749, July 21, 4 p.m., the Ambassador in the Soviet Union was informed that the Department did not have any lists of American citizens known to have been residing in Poland or the Baltic States (340.1115A/7–2144).
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