361.1121/2–2747: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union
Washington
, March 7,
1947—7 p. m.
421. Dept approves delivery note concerning claimants American citizenship detained in Sov Union along lines your 562 Feb 27. Dept may wish revise time table for release depending on future developments.
Following changes suggested in submitted text:
- (1)
- First sentence Paragraph 1 before “persons claiming American citizenship” insert “several hundred” or other suitable indication of number of persons involved.
- (2)
- Fifth sentence Paragraph 2. Dept suggests careful rechecking 59 cases listed to assure that in Embassy’s opinion no question validity claim these individuals exists.
- (3)
- First sentence Paragraph 3 appears neither relevant nor entirely accurate. Suggest paragraph begin with “My Govt cannot admit right” in second sentence.
- (4)
- Last clause fourth sentence Paragraph 3 reading “in order that his American citizenship status may be determined” might appear to Sov Govt contradictory to statement in Paragraph 2 that Embassy is satisfied of validity of citizenship claims in these cases. Suggest this clause be deleted.
- (5)
- Last sentence Paragraph 3 practically constitutes invitation to Sov authorities to bring criminal charges against individual claimants and does not appear relevant. Suggest it be dropped.
- (6)
- To place proper emphasis on our major objective order of “obtain” clauses in first sentence last paragraph should be reversed so that obtaining release of claimants precedes reference to obtaining satisfactory reply to Embassy’s representations.1
Acheson
- After the receipt of this reply, Ambassador Smith advised the Department in telegram 1322 from Moscow on April 12, noon, that he had not delivered the proposed note, “considering [the] time inappropriate”. In the meanwhile the citizenship status of the persons concerned should be carefully reviewed to insure that nothing had happened during their long residence abroad which could have impaired the validity of their claims. He suggested that this should be done in the Department of State because the Embassy did not have full files nor sufficient staff, whereas the Department had records more up-to-date and was the final arbiter on citizenship status. The Ambassador considered it “very important that we make strong stand on cases of American citizens arrested by Soviet authorities”, but because of the practice of the Foreign Ministry to deny many claims of American citizenship and consequently to refuse additional information, he did “not wish to present any claim that cannot be substantiated.” A total of 233 cases were mentioned, and a note written on this telegram in the Department stated that “each case being reviewed & handled separately as time allows”. (361.1121/4–1247)↩