701.0090/2346: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Harrison)
2359. Your 5962, September 24. Department has addressed to Spanish Embassy in charge of Japanese interests a note46 quoting the letter of Minister Shigemitsu addressed to Minister Gorgé and continuing as follows:
“It appears from the foregoing quotation that the Japanese Government is unwilling to believe the repeated statements of the United States Government that the Spanish representatives in charge of Japanese interests are, and since assuming the protection of Japanese interests in continental United States have been, at complete liberty to search out any Japanese national in continental United States, to speak to that Japanese freely without witnesses and to ascertain the real desire of such Japanese regarding repatriation to Japan. It would further appear that the Japanese Government has not been informed by the Spanish Embassy of the numerous refusals of repatriation which Japanese nationals in the United States have spontaneously communicated direct to the Embassy. It furthermore appears that the Japanese Government is not aware, or is unwilling to believe, that every Japanese desiring repatriation and named for repatriation by the Japanese Government has been afforded the opportunity to be repatriated even if he first declined repatriation and later signified a change of intention and no matter whether this change was notified direct to the United States authorities or through the Spanish Embassy. Reference is made in this connection to the Department’s memorandum of August 31, 1943,47 regarding Shinji Fujishiro and to numerous other cases of which the Embassy is aware.
The United States Government attaches great importance to this point because it appears that American nationals eligible for exchange have been withheld from the current exchange because of the Japanese Government’s alleged belief that all Japanese nationals named by it for repatriation were not given an opportunity freely to express their real desires and that some among those desiring repatriation were withheld from the current exchange against their real wishes. As the Embassy is in a position to certify to the Japanese Government, no Japanese national in the high-priority categories who signified a desire for repatriation in time to be put aboard the Gripsholm was withheld from the exchange and those in the lowpriority categories who opted for repatriation were not embarked only because of lack of space. So as not to separate families, there were actually embarked eleven more Japanese nationals than the 1500 which the United States Government was pledged to deliver.
As the Spanish Embassy is aware, the attitude of the Japanese Government expressed in the final sentence of the above quotation is entirely irreconcilable with the true state of affairs. Not only is there of record the written refusal of repatriation of each Japanese [Page 936] national whose refusal of the opportunity to be repatriated has been reported to the Japanese Government but as the Embassy knows, it has repeatedly been invited to have its representatives verify the wishes of the Japanese nationals in question.
The Embassy is again invited to take steps on its own initiative to verify the true wishes of every Japanese national in the United States named for repatriation by the Japanese Government who has refused to be repatriated and to certify its findings direct to the Japanese Government. If any Japanese are found who have since the departure of the Gripsholm changed their intention not to be repatriated, as some have from time to time, and now are willing to leave this country, it would be appreciated if the Department of State might be informed in order that arrangements may be made for their repatriation in any future exchange of nationals which may be arranged. It would furthermore be appreciated if the Spanish Ambassador would forthwith communicate to the Japanese Government a statement of his knowledge of these matters and of his proposed course of action in respect to the Department’s invitation in order that the Japanese Government may no longer have any valid reason to doubt the bona fides of the statements made to it in this respect.
The text of this note is being communicated by telegraph through Bern to the Swiss Minister at Tokyo for communication to the Japanese Government.”