340.1115A/1010
The Consul at Tunis (Heisler) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 26.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Department’s telegram No. 37 of May 16, 1940, 6:00 p.m., to the American Legation, Tangier, which has been repeated to this Consulate, relative to the advisability of suggesting to American citizens in this country an early return to the United States, and to report that all American citizens in Tunisia have now been advised by the Consulate to give immediate consideration to an early return to their homes in the United States, while transportation facilities remain available.
The total number of American citizens in Tunisia is not large, estimated at approximately ninety-five, registered and not registered.
Most of the citizens in this country, it is believed, will make no attempt to return to the United States, preferring to remain at their places of residence in various parts of the country. Several missionaries have indicated their intention to remain in Tunisia, even though war comes to this country, and the small number of American business men here have no immediate plans of returning to the United States. Furthermore, children born in the United States of Italian parents are largely in the position of being unable to return to the United States at this time, since their parents are still Italian subjects and they are without adequate financial resources to travel and, moreover, have no near relatives in the United States. Hence it is possible that very few American citizens now in Tunisia will attempt to return to the United States in the immediate future.
Citizens in Tunisia are also faced with the difficult proposition of obtaining passage from Tunis to the United States, and this difficulty will be further increased if Italy enters the war on Germany’s side. As it is now, no shipping to the United States is available from Tunisian or Algerian ports. Thus Americans in this country wishing to return to the United States must proceed to Italy or take the long journey across North Africa to Tangier or Casablanca. Passage from Italy will not be available if hostilities commence in the Mediterranean area.
Respectfully yours,