711.62115 AR/12–2645
The Acting Secretary of State to the Chargé in Peru (Trueblood)
Sir: You are requested to transmit a copy of the enclosed memorandum48 to the Foreign Office with a brief covering communication referring to the Permian memorandum of November 20, 1945.49 You [Page 300] will note that the Department plans to release the enclosed memorandum to the press on or shortly after January 1, 1946. You are requested to telegraph report of transmittal.
It is suggested that you call the attention of the Foreign Office, either orally or in your covering communication, to the following points in connection with the enclosed memorandum:
- a.
- The memorandum discloses that the United States Government is in effect willing to accede to the position taken by the Peruvian Government that it deported the aliens to the United States as a temporary measure only, that they remained at all times under the protection of the Peruvian laws, and that they should now be returned to Peru. The United States Government is, however, willing to accede to Peru’s position in that respect only if it is uniformly applicable to all the aliens deported from Peru. Accordingly, the United States Government believes that no distinction can be made between those persons referred to in the various sub-paragraphs of paragraph 5 in the Peruvian memorandum.
- b.
- As stated in the enclosed memorandum, “The United States Government will if desired collaborate in matters concerning the ultimate disposition of individual cases”. This is applicable to enemy nationals now in Peru, as well as to those who may be returned to it. At this time, the United States Government cannot give any more definite assurance to the Peruvian Government with respect to the request made by the Peruvian Government in paragraph 6 of its memorandum.50
For your information, the other two Governments who, like Peru, have asserted their “jurisdiction” in the matter are Ecuador and El Salvador.51 Since it was decided that the only course open was to accede to the wishes of these three countries, it seemed clear that the same opportunity would have to be offered to the other governments concerned. They would in any event shortly find out about our action toward the three and demand similar treatment, and it seemed far preferable to be frank with them from the start.
While the Department regrets that Peru, Ecuador and El Salvador have seen fit to insist on the return of the aliens they had deported, acceding to their wishes does not represent an abandonment of the repatriation program. A determined and sustained effort will be made to see to it that Peru, Ecuador and El Salvador, and any others who may follow suit, carry out their promises to take action pursuant to Resolution VII of the Final Act of Mexico City.
Very truly yours,
- This memorandum was sent to 12 American Republics: Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru, which deported alien enemies to the United States for security reasons. In effect the memorandum asked each republic to decide whether it wished to have all the aliens it sent here returned to it for ultimate disposition of its cases, or whether it wished to have the United States continue to exercise primary responsibility in deciding which of the aliens were so dangerous as to make deportation from the hemisphere essential, and in taking action accordingly. For text of memorandum, Released to the press January 3, 1946, see Department of State Bulletin January 6 and 13, 1946, p. 33.↩
- Not printed.↩
- Request for U.S. Government aid in the repatriation of all Japanese then residing in Peru.↩
- The assertions made orally by Ambassador Castro of El Salvador on October 24 were formalized in a note dated December 5, 1945, addressed to the Secretary of State (711.62115 AR/12–545).↩