File No. 763.72113/432
The Secretary of State to the Alien Property Custodian ( Palmer )
Sir: I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of December 20,1 with regard to the question of making a demand for property belonging to and held for, by, on account of and on behalf of, and for the benefit of residents of Turkey who are enemies within the meaning of the Trading with the Enemy Act.
In reply I desire to point out that Turkish interests in the United States are very small as compared to American holdings in Turkey and that any action on our part looking to the seizure of Turkish property would result in the Turkish Government seizing property in Turkey as a retaliatory measure with tremendous losses to American interests.
In these circumstances and in view of the fact that we are not actually at war with Turkey, it is the opinion of this Department that no demand be made for property in the United States belonging to and held for, by, on account of, and on behalf of, and for the benefit of residents of Turkey.
1 am [etc.]
- Not printed.↩