740.00115A Pacific War/512: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Harrison)
1760. American Interests—Philippines. From funds made available for representation of American interests, Department authorizes the Swiss Government to make monthly payments of $25,000 beginning May 1, 1944 to Bagge, Swedish Minister at Tokyo and Chairman of War Prisoners’ Aid of YMCA in Japanese-controlled territories, [Page 1035] for transfer to Janson, Chairman WPA of YMCA in Philippine Islands and Swedish Consul. The funds are to be used by the latter for the purchase locally of relief supplies to be sent to American prisoners of war and civilian camps in the Philippines. A telegram dated about May 15 from Bagge to WPA, Stockholm, requested this sum, stating that permission had been given Janson to send clothing, foodstuffs, etc., twice monthly to one prisoner of war camp and once a week to one camp of civilians, Manila.
Monthly reports of expenditures should be made by the WPA representative in the Philippines, giving number of recipients divided into prisoners of war and civilians. Receipts signed by Chairman, Executive Committee,62 or camp spokesman of camps should be obtained, if practicable.
This authorization is in addition to authorizations for remittances to the Internees’ Executive Committee of American internment camps (Department’s 769, March 7; and No. 1761, May 20.63)
- C. C. Grinnell.↩
- Latter telegram not printed; it stated that, in view of the reported increase in the cost of living in the Philippines, the Department authorized “provisionally such reasonable increase in financial assistance to recipients in Philippines as the Swiss Legation, Tokyo, may deem necessary to maintain adequate subsistence level.” (740.00115A Pacific War/512) Telegram 3776, June 13, 6 p.m., from Bern, advised of information from the Japanese Foreign Office that monthly transfers to Manila had been increased to 160,000 yen (740.00115A Pacific War/1216).↩