Minister Jackson to the Secretary of State.
Athens, June 14, 1906.
Sir: I have the honor to report that at his usual weekly reception to-day Mr. Skouses, the minister of foreign affairs, referred in general to the emigration of Greeks to the United States and to a particular instance when a considerable number (more than a hundred) had been sent back again to the ports from which they had sailed.
It seems that about two months ago quite a large number of Greeks left Megara, Thebes, and Corinth for Boston, New York, St. Louis, and other American cities. Most of these emigrants were passed satisfactorily, but a number of them—notably those whose destination was St. Louis—were stopped and sent back. About a hundred of them reached Hamburg on board the steamer Patricia on May 12, and they were forced to undergo considerable hardship before their eventual repatriation.
These emigrants pretend not to know why they were sent back, while others from the same towns, whose sanitary and financial condition was no better than their own, were allowed to pass. They claim to have had no knowledge of any contract with employers at St. Louis, which may possibly have been made by some agent on their behalf.
Under the circumstances the minister has asked me to ascertain, if possible, the reason for their having been sent back, so that an appropriate warning can be issued, especially if there is any reason why the immigration of Greeks to St. Louis is considered as undesirable.
I have, etc.,