711.62115/8–1545: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Peru (Pawley)

830. Please immediately approach FonMin in re your 852 of August 1520 and explain to him the following:

Majority of other American republics in conformity with Resolution VII of the Mex Conference has given full concurrence to the deportation of all German internees from those respective countries regardless [Page 277] of mitigating circumstances such as family ties. It is felt that, in view of Peru’s outstanding cooperation during war, that Govt will not wish to be behindhand in this respect.

[There are omitted here instructions similar to those sent to the Ambassador in Costa Rica in telegram 352, page 274.]

The FonMin has referred to a verbal understanding that Germans deported from Peru should not be sent to Germany during war against their will. The circumstances which prompted this, however, can hardly be held to apply now that the hostilities have terminated and wartime personal danger to the internees is removed.

Of the 129 Germans and their families from Peru 59 have signed petitions for repatriation to Germany and 23 have refused to state their wishes in regard to the repatriation to Germany, thus indicating desire not to go on record as being disloyal to the fatherland.

This Govt is willing to investigate further and discuss with Peruvian Govt any cases in which it is interested, the more so as the Dept feel that full publicity will eventually have to be given to all deportee cases and particularly to those who are endeavoring through one means or another to return to other American republics to form nucleus of new Nazi imperialistic or Pan-German movement in the Western Hemisphere.

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Byrnes
  1. Not printed; it explained the Foreign Minister’s reluctance to approve the deportation to Germany of German nationals from Peru interned in the United States, and recommended that a strong instruction be sent for the Ambassador’s use recommending that the decisions on deportation be left to the discretion of the United States Government (711.65115/8–1545).