701.0090/2341a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Harrison)
2292. American interests—Far East. Your 5774, September 16.36 Please request Swiss Minister Tokyo urgently to inform Japanese Government that the limitation of baggage of repatriates in manner reported by Fontanel to have been adopted by Japanese authorities in China is contrary to exchange agreement. This Government permitted all Japanese repatriates to take on Gripsholm 30 cubic feet of hold baggage plus three pieces of cabin baggage totaling more than 32 cubic feet regardless of weight. Repatriates also permitted to ship hold baggage in excess of 30 cubic feet at established rate of $1.00 per cubic foot.
All Japanese repatriates were allowed to take their personal effects, clothing and used household effects including linen, silverware and other articles that could be packed in trunks or boxes for transoceanic shipment. If the repatriates wished, they were given opportunity to ship personal effects to friends and relatives or to store possessions in warehouses. Repatriates were allowed to send for personal possessions stored outside camps and assembly centers in order to take them on Gripsholm.
There were additionally shipped on Gripsholm 130 pieces of baggage left by Japanese repatriates who sailed on first exchange.
The United States Government expects that the Japanese Government will make certain that American repatriates enjoy full reciprocity [Page 929] in order that Japanese repatriates aboard Gripsholm may not suffer any diminution in liberal amounts of baggage taken with them.37
- Not printed; it reported that American repatriates from Shanghai had been restricted to three pieces of luggage per person, each with a maximum weight of 30 kilograms, and two pieces of hand luggage and that passengers from assembly centers in China were not permitted to take personal effects in their possession or stored elsewhere (701.0090/2269). A correction to No. 5774 was forwarded by the Minister in Switzerland in his No. 5827, September 18, namely, that passengers from assembly centers were permitted to take personal effects in their possession (701.0090/2289).↩
- The Japanese reply to this message was transmitted to the Department by the Minister in Switzerland in despatch No. 8198, May 17, 1944; it stated that examination of luggage and, in some cases, of persons by American authorities was made with greater rigidity than that by Japanese authorities, and that American refusal to allow Japanese evacuees to take with them personal effects and necessaries for the use of babies was an infringement of the exchange agreement (740.00115 Pacific War/2454).↩