740.00115A PW/11–2344: Airgram
The Chargé in Switzerland (Huddle) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 5—6 p.m.]
A–704. American Interests—China. Legation’s telegram No. 6760, October 10, 10 p.m.87 Given below is substance material portion Swiss note dated November 18:
Fontanel has dispatched by courier detailed report covering his visits to civilian assembly centers in Shanghai area. This report will be transmitted Legation upon receipt at Swiss Foreign Office. He [Page 1010] intervened with Japanese Consulate General with a view making arrangements for Japanese authorities to do more on behalf of persons confined in the assembly camps. Japanese Consulate General replied that it has repeatedly requested Japanese Government to make supplementary credits available to it but that Consulate General does not believe that it will receive them in the near future. It added that the living conditions of the internees are in every case equal to, or perhaps even better than those of the average Japanese and Chinese civilian and that more could not be asked in time of war.
Fontanel believes that this statement is generally in conformity with the truth, although it does not take cognizance of the fact that the internees are not accustomed to the frugal food which satisfied the Japanese and Chinese. In these conditions, he would not consider it opportune to instruct the Swiss Legation at Tokyo to intervene with the Japanese Government regarding this matter. Such a representation might also run the risk of prompting the Japanese authorities to carry out their project of transferring the internees to the north of the country or to Manchuria.
The Japanese authorities have given their assent to Fontanel’s proposal to send a single shipment of a certain quantity of food to the camps. He therefore plans to purchase wheat, millet, crushed barley as well as several varieties of kidney beans, soya and bacon.