701.6266A/1–746
The Apostolic Delegate in the United States (Cicognani) to the Department of State
Memorandum
The Apostolic Delegate in the United States has been informed by the Secretariat of State of the Holy See that the question of the German diplomats residing presently in Vatican City has not yet been decided. The Holy See is most anxious to reach a solution of the problem and invokes the aid and assistance of the United States Government for that purpose.
[Page 799]The above mentioned diplomats are willing to be repatriated to Germany and to submit to an examination regarding their past activities. However they feel that they are entitled to some assurance that they will not be interned, and that they will be given fair treatment, so that their families which are now without homes and means of subsistence will not be exposed to needless and grave hardships. They wish to be permitted to choose a place of residence in Western Germany, and declare at the same time that they are willing to be interrogated and to be placed under the vigilance of the Allied authorities.
The Acting Secretary of State further indicates that while the Allied authorities had previously declared that such a procedure would be followed, more recent communications on the subject state that these diplomats “would not be interned immediately on their arrival in Frankfort”.
This latter reservation leaves much anxiety in the minds of the German diplomats, and the Holy See, for its part, does not wish to force them to leave Vatican City without greater guarantees of personal immunity, especially in view of the unfavorable reaction that such a forced departure from Vatican City may arouse among the German people either at once or in the future.
The Apostolic Delegate earnestly requests the kind consideration of the Department of State in the above stated problem, and confidently trusts that some suitable solution may be found in the near future.