Claim of John B. Ketcham, Foreign Service officer, class VI.

Mr. Ketcham was assigned to Medan, Sumatra, Netherlands Indies, at the outbreak of war between Japan and the United States. Having received orders from the Department to close the office he did so on February 16, 1942, and proceeded to Kota Radja in the northern part of Sumatra where he boarded an evacuation ship. His effects were stored in a warehouse on a rubber estate about 50 miles from Medan.

Subsequent to the outbreak of war in Europe and the Far East and later when war broke out between Japan and the United States and Germany and the United States all transportation facilities became disrupted. Germany immediately embarked upon an intensive submarine warfare on all shipping, enemy and neutral alike. Claim of R. Borden Reams, Foreign Service officer, class VII.

Mr. Reams was assigned to Copenhagen and was transferred to the Department. En route to Washington he was interned by the Germans in Bad Nauheim. His effects were shipped to the United States from Copenhagen on the first trip of the exchange ship Gripsholm. When his effects were received and unpacked in July 1942 a number of articles were missing.

Claim of Elizabeth Deegan, Foreign Service clerk. Miss Deegan was assigned to the Embassy at Paris until December 19, 1940. At the outbreak of war she was forced to leave France on 24 hours' notice. She was transferred to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her furniture and effects were packed and shipped to her after her departure and after their arrival in Rio de Janeiro in August of 1941, many articles were found to be missing. It is believed that they were lost or stolen en route from Paris, France, to Rio de Janeiro.

Clarm of Raymond Bastianello, Foreign Service clerk.

Mr. Bastianello was assigned to the Embassy in Paris, France, but while on an official trip from Paris to Tours, Bordeaux, and La Bourboule, he was transferred on November 1, 1940, to Madrid. requested the Embassy at Paris to forward his effects, which did not arrive in Madrid until March 1941. By that time he had been transferred to Mexico City and upon leaving Madrid gave instructions for the packing, shipping, and insurance of his effects from Madrid to Mexico City.

The loss of and damage to Mr. Bastianello's property were sustained during their shipment from Paris to Madrid and from Madrid to New York. It is believed that this damage was the consequence of incompetent packers, poor materials, and the disruption of transportation facilities because of war conditions.

Name

Raymond Bastianello, Foreign Service clerk..

Claimed Disallowed Approved

$3,392.80 $2,392.80

$1,000

Claim of Candide R. DuBeau, Foreign Service clerk.

Miss DuBeau was assigned to the consulate at Marseille, France. In February 1942, she was evacuated to the United States because of the German occupation of France. The shipment of her effects was authorized and they were forwarded from Marseille via Lisbon, Portugal, and New York to Willimantic, Conn. Upon arrival at their destination many articles were found to be badly damaged. It is believed the damage was caused by the delay en route due to war conditions. Although Miss DuBeau left Marseille in February of 1942 it was not until July 1942 that shipment reached its destination.

Claim of Wilbur J. Keblinger, Foreign Service officer, class III. Mr. Keblinger had been assigned as consul at Hamburg, Germany. In the fall of 1940 he was instructed to return to the United States preparatory to his retirement from the service. About the middle of December 1940 his trunk was forwarded from Hamburg to Berlin to be sent by air freight from that place to Lisbon. The trunk was duly started on its way to Lisbon but never reached that port. Efforts were made by the Embassy in Berlin and the consulate general in Lisbon to trace it but without result. It is believed that the loss occurred because of the disruption of transportation systems consequent from the war in Europe.

Claim of Paul J. Reveley, Foreign Service officer, class VII.

Mr. Reveley was assigned to the consulate at Palermo, Sicily, and in August 1939 he was transferred to London. His effects were packed and shipped on the Steamship Giovanni Boccaccio some time in September 1939. When the vessel reached Gibraltar it was returned to Naples, by orders of the Italian Government, and its cargo was discharged. Mr. Reveley's effects were placed in a general warehouse in Naples until December 2, 1941, when they were shipped on a Swiss steamer via Genoa to New York.

Claim of Richard B. Haven, Foreign Service officer, class IV.

Mr. Haven was assigned to Turin, Italy. When American consular personnel were evacuated from Italy he was forced to abandon his automobile, which undoubtedly was taken over by the Italian authorities.

Claim of Edwin S. Coleman, Foreign Service clerk.

Mr. Coleman had been assigned to Moscow and was transferred to Rio de Janeiro. His effects were left in Moscow to be forwarded in June of 1941. Upon the arrival of his effects a number of articles were found to be missing.

Claim of John J. Meily, Foreign Service officer, class V.

Mr. Meily was assigned to Zagreb, Yugoslavia, in October 1938. He was granted home leave at Government expense. He informed the Department he would avail himself of his leave in the spring of 1939. Because of the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939 and the consequent unsettled political situation Mr. Meily gave up his plans for leave. It was not until 1941 that he was able to plan to take leave. In March 1941 he deposited 20,000 dinars with the Societe de Navigation Aerienne Yugoslavie "Aeroput" in Belgrade for clipper. passage for his wife and himself to leave Lisbon between June 1 and 7, 1941. Later it was necessary to cancel the reservation. When he endeavored to obtain a refund of his deposit, "Aeroput" in Belgrade had closed up and he was referred to the Lisbon office. The Lisbon office had never received the deposit and could do nothing.

Claim of W. Garland Richardson, Foreign Service Officer, class VII. Mr. Richardson was vice consul at Dairen, Manchuria. In November 1941 he shipped 75 cases of personal and household effects from Dairen to the United States. They arrived at Shanghal about November 11, 1941, and were to have been loaded on the steamship Maréchal Joffre. This vessel was in Manila when war between Japan and the United States broke out. It left Manila hurriedly and proceeded to Australia and later arrived in the United States. Only 17 of the 75 cases were on that vessel when it arrived in San Francisco. Although a thorough investigation was made no trace of the remaining 58 cases has been found.

Claim of Paul W. Meyer, Foreign Service officer, class VI.

Mr. Meyer had been assigned to Kunming, China, and was transferred to Tsingtao. His effects were to be shipped from Kunming to Tsingtao. Because of interruption to traffic over the French Indo-China-Yunnan Railway as a result of the bombing of the railway by the Japanese, his effects were shipped over the Burma Road to Rangoon. There was quite a delay in shipping these effects. After their arrival at Rangoon, it was found almost impossible to ship them to Tsingtao and they were shipped to New York for forwarding to Mr. Meyer's home at Rockville, Conn. Upon arrival at their destination, the effects were found to be badly damaged and in many instances practically destroyed.

Claim of Robert P. Chalker, Foreign Service officer, unclassified.

Mr. Chalker had been assigned to Lisbon, Portugal, and was transferred to Birmingham, England. A radio belonging to him was shipped from the United States on the steamship Empire Mersey destined for England. This vessel left New York on September 21, 1942, but was lost at sea as the result of enemy action.

Claim of John Mundt, Jr., Foreign Service Auxiliary officer.

Mr. Mundt was an Auxiliary officer assigned to the Embassy in Lima, Peru. He was instructed to return to Washington for consultation, at which time his draft status came up. Knowing that he would not return to Lima he instructed that office to ship his effects. The vessel on which they were shipped, the Melville E. Stone, was lost through enemy action.

Claim of Rudolph E. Zetterstrand, Foreign Service Auxiliary officer. Mr. Zetterstrand is a Foreign Service Auxiliary officer assigned to the Embassy at Rio de Janeiro. His effects were shipped from New York to Rio de Janeiro on the steamship Birmingham City. This vessel and its cargo were lost at sea as the result of enemy action.

Claim of Hortense Uhlrich, Foreign Service clerk.

Miss Uhlrich was assigned to the legation at Tangier. She was in the United States on leave and assigned for temporary duty in the Department pending her return by air. It was necessary for her to send the greater part of her baggage by steamer. It was shipped on the steamship Wyoming, some time during February or early March 1943. The steamship Wyoming was sunk at sea by enemy action.

Name

Hortense Uhlrich, Foreign Service clerk.

Claimed Disallowed Approved

$47.70

$47.70

The amounts recommended to be appropriated for reimbursement represent what is believed to be a fair valuation of lost, destroyed, or damaged articles, reasonable, useful, necessary, and proper for the officers and employees, respectively, to have in their possession while in the public service, in the line of duty in foreign countries.

It is, therefore, recommended that this report be submitted to the Congress with the request that $90,130.91 be appropriated for the relief of the claimants.

As a matter of convenience there is appended hereto a tentative draft of the desired legislation.

Respectfully submitted.

Enclosures: (Appendix A; Appendix B).

CORDELL HULL.