Office of the Historian

701.0066A/7–744: Telegram

The Consul General at Algiers (Lawton) to the Secretary of State

Algiers, July 7, 1944—noon.
[Received 10:30 p.m.]

2313. From Murphy. Reference my 2221, July 1, 1 p.m. Alexander’s Headquarters report that in agreement with Control Commission they plan to arrange transfer to Palermo on July 10 of Axis diplomats to Holy See who have not entered Vatican. Pending repatriation they will be suitably accommodated under guard in Palermo.77

In absence of contrary instructions it is intended to release von Kessel to enter Vatican and to send Wemmer and Elling78 to Palermo since it is considered most desirable to remove these two from Rome as soon as possible79 and such action will not prejudice their ultimate disposal.

Repeated to Naples for Kirk.80 [Murphy.]

Lawton
  1. The Axis diplomats were housed at the Hotel Miramar at Taormina instead of Palermo as originally planned.↩
  2. Georg Elling, Attaché of the German Embassy, with the title of Wissenschaftmitarbeiter.↩
  3. Both diplomats were under suspicion as being German intelligence agents. Allied Force Headquarters accumulated evidence to show that Elling was a member of the Sicherheitsdienst charged with directing occupational espionage.↩
  4. Alexander C. Kirk. American Representative on the Advisory Council for Italy. Mr. Kirk transmitted the substance of this telegram to Myron C. Taylor at Rome in a letter dated July 8.↩