740.00119 European War/11–2144
The British Ambassador (Halifax) to the Secretary of State
No. 694
His Majesty’s Ambassador presents his compliments to the Secretary of State and with reference to the Department’s memorandum of October 23, 1944 about German ships and aircraft seeking refuge in neutral territory, has the honour to inform him that His Majesty’s [Page 160] representatives in Ankara, Berne, Lisbon, Madrid, Stockholm, Caracas, Lima, Montevideo, Quito and Santiago have been instructed to approach the Governments to which they are accredited, on the lines proposed in the Embassy’s Aide-Mémoire of September 23, as soon as their United States colleagues have received parallel instructions. In accordance with the suggestion made in the second paragraph of the Department’s memorandum, their communications will refer to “countries that have not declared war on the Axis nations,” rather than to “neutral countries”.
- 2.
- As regards Argentina, His Majesty’s representative at Asunción has been instructed to ask the Paraguayan Government to approach the Argentine Government, in accordance with the suggestion made in the third paragraph of the Department’s memorandum.
- 3.
- His Majesty’s Embassy have the honour to enquire whether the United States Government would be willing to send instructions to the United States representatives in the countries named, including Switzerland, to concert with their British colleagues with a view to a simultaneous approach to the governments concerned.