Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1941, The Far East, Volume V

390.1115A/604a: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Consul General at Batavia (Foote)⁷¹

Washington, December 18, 1941—9 p.m.

197. Maritime Commission is notifying all owners and operators of American ships operating in Netherlands Indian waters to make available to American citizens any emergency accommodations which may be utilized for their transportation to the United States or to places of greater safety. If, at any time, you feel that the position of American citizens in the Netherlands Indies is precarious and that they would be in greater danger by continued residence in that territory than by evacuating elsewhere, you should not hesitate to advise them to avail themselves of any facilities which may be available for their transportation to places of safety, and you should ask the masters of American vessels to accommodate as many American citizens as they consider may be carried within the limits of safety.

If more than 12 passengers can be accommodated on any freight vessel, or if emergency accommodations can be made available on any passenger vessels for more than their normal complement of passengers, and provided circumstances make it necessary and desirable for any vessel to accommodate an increased number of passengers beyond the limit permitted by the vessel’s inspection certificate, you may further cooperate by issuing, at the request of the master, an emergency consular certificate in accordance with the provisions of diplomatic serial 3047, March 28, 1939,⁷² and you are hereby granted blanket authority to issue such certificates whenever time will not permit prior communication with Department. Report fully to Department all particulars in each case of discretionary issuance of consular certificates. Such certificates should cover only accommodations for American citizens and their accompanying alien spouses and unmarried minor alien children.

Emergency consular certificates are not required for cargo vessels carrying less than 12 passengers and the availability of accommodations on such vessels not in excess of 12 passengers should be left entirely to the discretion of the masters.

Whenever you consider the need to be great, the Department is prepared to make an allotment of funds to your office for use during the current emergency for advances as loans to deserving cases of destitute Americans and for those Americans temporarily without funds for transportation expenses to the United States or for transportation to places of greater safety, against promissory notes in strict accordance with provisions of circular of March 21, 1939,⁷³ as amended by Diplomatic Serial No. 3382 of August 12, 1941.⁷⁴

Please telegraph estimate of funds needed, if any, number of persons probably affected, and purpose, i. e., whether for repatriation or temporary evacuation to a place of greater safety, bearing in mind that every reasonable effort must first be made by such persons to obtain funds from other sources, including relatives, friends and employers in the United States, that loans are to be granted only in deserving cases as defined by the provisions of the above-mentioned instructions, that lowest price steamship accommodations available must be used, and that the Department will not make public funds available for maintenance of Americans abroad except very temporarily while awaiting sailing at an intermediate port en route to the United States.

Repeat to Medan and Surabaya which are likewise authorized to issue emergency consular certificates in accordance with the foregoing instructions.

Hull

71. Sent as No. 51, December 20, 5 p.m., to the Consul at Rangoon (Brady) with respect to Burmese waters.
72. Foreign Relations, 1939, vol. i, p. 585.
73. Foreign Relations, 1939, vol. i, p. 574.
74. Printed in vol. i, section entitled “Emergency Measures for the Repatriation of American Citizens Abroad With the Spread of War in Europe.”