711.62115/8–1245: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Costa Rica (Gibson)

352. Attitude of Costa Rican Govt in desiring the return to Costa Rica of the twenty dangerous and influential German nationals listed your 476 August 12, has been noted with grave concern. Dept realizes the political implications of such cases but fails to understand Costa Rican Govt’s attitude in view of Resolution VII of the Mexico Conference to which Costa Rican Govt freely subscribed.

You are requested to seek immediately an interview with President and FonMin and express the deep feeling of this Govt that such persons should not be permitted to remain in this Hemisphere where they can again form a nucleus of Pan-Germanism. You may mention that great majority of the other American republics have given their full concurrence in the deportation of all German internees from those respective countries regardless of mitigating circumstances such as family ties, etc. Moreover this Govt intends to deport German residents of the US whose activities prior to and including the war constituted symbols of Pan-Germanism regardless of mitigating circumstances such as family ties.

You should refer to Safehaven project covered by Depcir instruction June 14, 1945 in which project Brit, French, Belgian and Soviet Govts have associated themselves. You should emphasize the determination of these Govts to bring about the return to Germany of all exponents of Pan-Germanism (economic or political) now residing in the United Nations and in neutral states, and express our hope that the Costa Rican Govt will reconsider favorably the cases mentioned your 476. You may say in strict confidence that such neutrals as Spain and Sweden have already agreed to the deportation from those countries of such Germans, regardless of family connections.

You may point out that the Dept feels that full publicity must be given to all cases of influential and dangerous Germans including their activities prior to the war, who are endeavoring through one means or another to return to the other American republics to form [Page 275] a nucleus of a new Pan-German movement in the Western Hemisphere, as well as to the cooperation or lack thereof by the Govt concerned to the program under Resolution VII of Mexico for their removal from this Hemisphere.

You may explain that this Govt has no intention of forcing the departure for Germany against their wishes of native-born Costa Rican families but strongly feels that Costa Rican Govt should consent to the deportation of all Germans from Costa Rica now interned in the US. (Costa Rican families will be permitted to return to Costa Rica at the expense of this Govt). Point out that of the 20 persons whose return Costa Rica now requests, Dept has on file signed petitions dated 1944 for repatriation to Germany of Walter Arend and family, Kalinowsky and family, Wagemans and wife and Zehner and wife.

Byrnes