740.00116 E.W./12–1944
The British Ambassador (Halifax) to the Secretary of State
No. 730
His Majesty’s Ambassador presents his compliments to the Secretary of State and has the honour to refer to his note No. 647 of the 19th October last regarding a proposed joint Anglo-American-Soviet [Page 1264] warning to the effect that individual prisoner-of-war camp commandants and guards, no less than the German military authorities will be held individually responsible for the safety of the prisoners-of-war in their charge and that excuses or attempts to shift responsibility on to the S.S. or Gestapo will not be entertained.
- 2.
- Lord Halifax has now been instructed by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to inform the United States Government that His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom propose that since the draft warning which was enclosed in his note under reference refers throughout to Allied prisoners of war, the text thereof should be modified to include after the words “Governments of the United Kingdom, United States and U.S.S.R. hereby issue” the words “on behalf of all the Allied Nations at war with Germany”.
- 3.
- Lord Halifax would therefore be grateful if the text of the proposed warning which is at present under consideration by the United States authorities might be amended accordingly and he would also be glad to learn how matters stand as to the acceptability of this proposal to the United States Government.
Washington
, December 19,
1944.