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whether Swiss Government will nominate a Swiss national to preside and whether it will furnish a room in which the conference may take place, adding that this Government would particularly appreciate a favorable reply.

Request Spanish Embassy in Berlin to inform German Government that this Government considers it highly important that a definite date for the conference be set as soon as possible, and that this Government is ready to extend the proposed conference to include civilians so far as concerns the conditions existing in civil internment camps.

POLK

File No. 763.72114/3839

The Minister in Switzerland (Stovall) to the Secretary of State

[Telegram]

BERNE, July 22, 1918, 2 p. m.
[Received July 24, 7.32 a. m.]

4042. Department's 2304, July 17. I am assured, informally, that Swiss Government will accept offer to preside over conference and furnish rooms provided German Government agrees. Does Department deem it advisable to inform German Government that Swiss have been asked to preside?

STOVALL

File No. 763.72114/3839

The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland

(Stovall)

[Telegram]

WASHINGTON, July 26, 1918, 6 p. m.

2349. Your 4042, July 22, 2 p. m. Department desires that you request Swiss Government to ascertain from German Government whether it is agreeable that a representative of the former Government preside at the coming prisoners-of-war conference in Berne. Department believes that this request should be made through the Swiss Government rather than the Spanish Embassy in Berlin, because the Spanish Government has itself offered to appoint a representative to preside at the conference. Department does not wish to reject this offer until an arrangement has been definitely concluded with the Swiss Government satisfactory to both the German Government and the Government of the United States.

POLK

File No. 763.72114/3765

The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland

(Stovall)

[Telegram]

WASHINGTON, August 6, 1918, 6 p. m.

2410. Department's 2304, July 17. Request Spanish Embassy, Berlin, urgently by telegraph to inform you of reasons for delay by German Government in setting date for proposed conference, and state that American delegation is ready to sail at short notice but must have 30 days between announcement of date in Washington and opening of conference at Berne.

For your information. American delegates would sail immediately for preliminary conferences with British and French authorities if certain that German Government would fix a date in near future but cannot risk possibility of long delay after reaching Europe. Please use every endeavor to obtain some official expression from German Government which would justify immediate departure of American delegation. Department leaves to your discretion advisability of requesting Swiss Political Department also to intercede for an early decision. Please consult Dresel who has been named as one of the Department's delegates to the conference.

POLK

File No. 763.72114A/88

The Ambassador in Spain (Willard) to the Secretary of State

[Telegram]

SAN SEBASTIAN, August 10, 1918, (?) a. m.

[Received August 11, 2.05 p. m.]

1659. Department's 1126, May 15, 4 p. m.1 German Government has asked Spanish Government to inform the United States that it suggests that the proposed conference at Berne dealing with question of civil and military prisoners take place the middle of September. German Foreign Office at the same time declares its intention to include in the program of the conference certain questions relative to Germans living abroad, especially in China and Central America.2 WILLARD

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2 Re China, see Foreign Relations, 1917, Supplement 2, vol. I, pp. 703 et seq., and 1918, Supplement 1, vol. I, pp. 624 et seq.; re Central America, see "Enemy Aliens in Panama, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic: Recommendations of the United States," post, pp. 232-244.

File No. 763.72114A/97

The Minister in Switzerland (Stovall) to the Secretary of State

[Telegram]

BERNE, August 14, 1918, 9 a. m.
[Received August 16, 4.54 a. m.]

4302. Department's 2349, July 26, 6 p. m. Political Department informs me that German Government recently requested Swiss Government to preside over coming conference and that Swiss Government expressed its readiness to do so.

STOVALL

File No. 763.72114A/88

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Spain (Willard)

[Telegram]

WASHINGTON, August 17, 1918, 2 p. m.

1440. Your 1659, August 10. Request Spanish Government to inform German Government that the Government of the United States has taken note of the German Government's suggestion that the proposed conference at Berne take place the middle of September. In reply the Government of the United States wishes to state that its commissioners will be prepared to take part in the proposed conference on the 23d of September, 1918.

The Government of the United States further notifies the German Government that the American commission will be composed as follows: Commissioners-Hon. John W. Garrett, American Minister to the Netherlands, chairman of the commission; Hon. John W. Davis, Solicitor General of the United States; Maj. Gen. F. J. Kernan, U. S. Army; and Capt. H. H. Hough, U. S. Navy. Assistant commissioners-Ellis Loring Dresel; Christian A. Herter (secretary to commission), Special Assistant in the Department of State; Charles H. Russell, jr., Secretary of Legation; Col. Ulysses S. Grant, 3d, and Col. Samuel G. Shartle, U. S. Army; Commander Raymond Stone, U. S. Navy; Charles Moorfield Storey, attorney in the Department of Justice; and Maj. James H. Perkins, Commissioner for Europe of the American National Red Cross.

The Government of the United States expects to receive in reply a similar notification in regard to the personnel of the German commission.

Acknowledge receipt of this telegram.

LANSING

File No. 763.72114A/459a

The Secretary of State to the Chairman of the Commission to the Prisoners of War Conference (Garrett)

WASHINGTON, August 22, 1918.

SIR: In connection with the forthcoming conference at Berne, Switzerland, between American and German representatives for the purpose of negotiating, drawing up and signing a reciprocal agreement for the maintenance, treatment, and exchange of prisoners of war, and allied subjects, the Department desires to issue to the American commission the following provisional instructions in case the points mentioned below should be brought up by the German representatives at the conference.

1. Treaty of 1799 between the United States and Prussia, articles 23 and 24. The Government of the United States regards only articles 23 and 24 of this treaty as in full effect and should the German representatives inquire as to our attitude the reply should be that this Government abides by these provisions of the treaty. If it should develop, however, that the German Government either would not or could not carry out the terms of the treaty, a new situation might arise which would require further instructions from the Department.

2. Property. This Government does not desire to extend the scope of the conference to include questions of property other than the personal belongings of prisoners of war. Should the subject be brought up by the German representatives at the conference the American commission should reply that it is without instructions in the premises.

3. Proposed deportation of German civilians from China. This Government did not originate the proposal, is not interested in it, and desires only the internment in China of such German civilians as are perniciously active. This attitude should, however, not be revealed to the public or to the German representatives in advance. It should be used as a concession in return for some German concession, as may be found expedient in the development of the negotiations.

I am [etc.]

File No. 763.72114A/153

ROBERT LANSING

The Minister in Switzerland (Stovall) to the Secretary of State

[Telegram]

BERNE, September 8, 1918, 9 a. m.
[Received September 9, 10.11 p. m.]

4641. Spanish Ambassador at Berlin learns from German Foreign Office that the German mission to the Berne prisoners conference will

1

Hunter Miller, Treaties and Other International Acts of the United States of America, vol. II, pp. 450-454.

be composed as follows: (1) Major General Friedrich; (2) Count Montgelas as Minister Plenipotentiary; (3) Doctor von Keller, Counsellor of Legation; (4) Major Draudt; (5) Captain Wilke, German Navy. The following are attached to the mission: (1) Doctor Roediger, Secretary of Legation, and (2) Naval Lieutenant Mensing. Von Hindenburg, Minister Plenipotentiary and chief of prisoners section of German Legation at Berne, has also been asked to take part in conference.

I would add that the death of General Friedrich is announced in the press. Garrett notified.

STOVALL

File No. 763.72114A/168

The Ambassador in France (Sharp) to the Secretary of State

3. [From Garrett]:

[Telegram]

PARIS, September 13, 1918, 4 p. m.

[Received September 14, 1.43 a. m.]

In the discussions that have taken place between your commissioners and with the knowledge of German methods and of what has been accomplished, especially by France for the betterment of the treatment of her prisoners in Germany, it has become evident that they should be in a position to promise Germany at the Berne conference not reprisals nor recriminations but absolute equality of treatment in all that pertains to prisoners of war and civilians; that the United States is fully determined to continue to treat prisoners in her hands humanely, justly, and well, but that we are equally determined to mete out to these prisoners, military or commissioned [civilian], as the case may be, perfect reciprocity or equality of treatment, not with the idea of bringing our methods down to the German level, but of bringing German methods up to ours. We take it that we may work on this basis with assurance that public and official opinion at home will be behind our efforts. Garrett.

SHARP

File No. 763.72114A/164

The Ambassador in France (Sharp) to the Secretary of State

4. [From Garrett]:

[Telegram]

PARIS, September 13, 1918, 5 p. m.
[Received 10 p. m.]

In the matter of complaints and threats of holding the United States responsible in regard to German subjects and property in Cuba, Panama, Dominican Republic, and elsewhere, it occurs to

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