711.62114/9–1244
The Department of State to the Embassy of the Soviet Union
Memorandum
The Soviet Ambassador on September 12 informed the Under Secretary orally that he had learned that among the German prisoners of war held in the United States there were several who claimed Soviet citizenship. Pursuant to the Ambassador’s request the various points brought up in his conversation have been investigated with the following results.
The records of the United States Army concerning German prisoners of war who claim nationality other than German are based on the statements of the prisoners themselves. Whenever such a prisoner indicates that he is a citizen of one of the United Nations, every facility is given him to communicate with the diplomatic representative [Page 1255] of his country in the United States. Several such communications have already been transmitted to the Soviet Embassy by the Department. Whenever the diplomatic mission is interested in having one of its representatives interrogate the prisoners in order to verify their claims, the Department makes the necessary arrangements with the military authorities for such visit.
The Army records are not kept in such a way as to make it possible to give the Soviet Embassy a list of all German prisoners of war of Soviet citizenship. However, all German prisoners of war who claim Soviet citizenship are free to communicate with the Soviet Embassy.
In accordance with the terms of the Geneva Convention, prisoners of war enjoy the same standard of food, lodging and medical care as the members of the armed forces of the United States. The Department believes, therefore, that all prisoners of war are adequately cared for but will, of course, be glad to investigate any specific instance of ill treatment which the Ambassador may care to bring to its attention.
In regard to the reports that some of the prisoners visited by a representative of the Soviet Embassy staff were receiving literature critical of the Soviet Union, it should be pointed out that regulations in force in all internment camps permit prisoners of war to receive all current newspapers and magazines of wide circulation published in the English language in the United States. It is possible that since these publications, in accordance with the traditional free press policy of the United States, express divergent views on current subjects, some of them may have contained material which was not entirely favorable to all aspects of Soviet policy.