740.00116 E.W./12–1144
The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador (Halifax)
The Secretary of State presents his compliments to His Excellency the British Ambassador and has the honor to refer to his note no. 716 (Ref. 152/238/44) of December 11, 1944, regarding the proposed tripartite declaration warning neutral countries against giving asylum to war criminals.
The Ambassador notes that the views of the Soviet Government on this matter have not been ascertainable, that it is thought likely the Soviet Government would consider such a declaration as redundant, and that in as much as more or less satisfactory assurances have been received from the neutral nations, the case for issuing the proposed tripartite declaration appears to have lost much of its force. The Ambassador inquires whether the United States Government would be disposed to agree that the matter should not be pursued any further.
The United States Government now holds the view, as expressed in the Department’s note of November 8, 1944, that the idea of a tripartite declaration might well be set aside eventually in favor of a general United Nations’ declaration. The United States Government [Page 1454] agrees, however, that the whole matter might be left in abeyance for the time being.
In regard to the last paragraph of the Ambassador’s note under reference, the United States Government does not share the view that more or less satisfactory assurances have been received from all of the neutral nations. In this connection it may be added that the Chiefs of the American Missions in the countries concerned have been advised that this Government would regard as completely satisfactory only the adoption and implementation, in the exercise of their sovereign rights, of a national policy which would deny legal admission to any Axis war criminal and provide for the deportation of any such person who succeeded in entering the country illegally. The Chiefs of Missions were instructed to be guided by this view in any further conversations they might have with officials of the countries concerned, without, however, making any further formal approach in the matter for the time being.