740.00115A Pacific War/588: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Harrison)
2492. American interests—occupied China. Swiss Legation Tokyo should approach Japanese Government as suggested by Swiss Consulate China (penultimate paragraph your 5391 September l84). Swiss Legation Tokyo should also inform Japanese Government that American Government permits representing power free access to Japanese nationals wherever they may be detained and has not restricted extension of assistance to them; that consequently it expects similar treatment of American nationals detained by Japan.85
Your 5380 August 31 and 5692 September 13.86 American authorities permit Japanese internees to have up to two visitors per month and additional visits are permitted in exceptional circumstances such as illness. There are no regulations limiting visits to Japanese residing in relocation centers. Persons in relocation centers may correspond without restriction and without censorship with persons in the United States, may send 25 word messages through Red Cross channels to friends and relatives abroad, and may receive such messages. The number of these 25 word messages which may be despatched or received is not limited except that one man may not send more than one message to the same city on one day. Japanese in internment camps may write three letters and one postcard per week to addressees in [Page 1005] the United States and abroad. No limitation is placed on the length or number of letters delivered to internees. Swiss Legation Tokyo should again remind Japanese Government of the favorable treatment extended by American authorities in this regard as well as the fact that Japanese nationals held in this country are provided an excellent diet and have at their disposal unusually well stocked canteens.
It should be stressed that United States Government is deeply concerned over situation of its nationals under Japanese control and wishes immediate assurance that they will be permitted to communicate freely with representatives of Swiss Government and receive all financial assistance to which latter may consider them entitled.
Please report.
- Post, p. 1031.↩
- In a memorandum of October 27, 1943, Mr. E. Tomlin Bailey of the Special Division stated that less than 50% of American civilian internees and approximately 10% of American prisoners of war held by Japan had been visited by representatives of the protecting power or the International Red Cross Committee (740.00115A P.W./10–2743).↩
- For telegram No. 5692, see p. 1032.↩