TUNIS

Claim of Hooker A. Doolittle, Foreign Service officer, class IV.

Mr. Doolittle was assigned to Tunis in May 1941 and remained there until November 8, 1942, at which time he was placed under house arrest and was unable to communicate with anyone who might have helped hide his effects. He was given one-half hour to prepare to evacuate Tunis. Upon his departure the Germans took over his house and remained there until the conclusion of the Tunisian campaign. Upon his return to Tunis Mr. Doolittle found his house stripped of all furniture and furnishings, except a few pieces of very heavy furniture. The Swiss consul, charged with protection of American interests had not been permitted by the German High Command to visit the house.

Claim of John W. Burnett, Foreign Service clerk.

Mr. Burnett was assigned to the Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, at the time of the outbreak of war between Japan and the United States. He was interned in the Embassy compound, being compelled to abandon his household effects which were in his residence. It was not until late in January 1942 that he was allowed to bring his effects from his residence to the Embassy compound. At that time it was found that a number of articles were missing.

Claim of Samuel Sokobin, Foreign Service officer, class IV.

Mr. Sokobin was assigned to Kobe, Japan, but had been on leave in the United States. He left San Francisco on November 9, 1941, en route to his post. The vessel did not proceed to Kobe but to Manila instead where it arrived on December 4, 1941. Mr. Sokobin was interned in Manila and returned to the United States with other American Foreign Service personnel in September 1943. He.left his household and many personal effects in Kobe in his residence. Fiftythree cases of his effects were sent to Tokyo for storage in the American Embassy, 22 cases of effects were brought to the United States on the first trip of the motorship Gripsholm in 1942. His automobile was stored with General Motors Corporation in Osaka, Japan. doubtedly this car was confiscated by the Japanese but to date Mr. Sokobin has received no information concerning it.

Claim of Leland C. Altaffer, vice consul.

Mr. Altaffer was in charge of the American consulate at Amoy, China, when the war between Japan and the United States broke out. He was arrested by the Japanese on the morning of December 8, 1941, and held at the Amoy Club for 1 month. During that time the consular premises, including his living quarters, were searched and certain articles belonging to him were taken away by the Japanese authorities.

Claim of Myrl S. Myers, Foreign Service officer, class II.

Mr. Myers was assigned to the consulate at Canton, China. On December 8, 1941, shortly after 7 a. m., the Japanese soldiers removed certain personal property from the consular premises. Although receipts were requested he did not receive any.

In addition to the property in Canton there was certain personal property belonging to Mr. Myers which was in the consulate general in Hong Kong. After the occupation of the consular premises by the Japanese this property had disappeared.

Name

Myrl 8. Myers, Foreign Service officer, class II..

Claimed

Disallowed Approved

$252

Claim of Walter Smith, Foreign Service officer, unclassified.

$252

Mr. Smith was assigned to the Consulate at Canton when war broke out between Japan and the United States. He was returned to the United States on the first exchange vessel and was forced to leave his effects in Canton. Information in the Department indicates that there is every reason to believe that his effects have been destroyed or confiscated.

Name

Claimed Disallowed Approved

Walter Smith, Foreign Service officer, unclassified..

$1, 210

$1,210

MUKDEN, MANCHURIA

Claim of Kenneth C. Krentz, Foreign Service officer, class VI.

Mr. Krentz was assigned to Mukden, Manchuria, at the outbreak of war between Japan and the United States. Neither the Swiss nor any other neutral authorities were allowed to communicate with Mr. Krentz. It was necessary for him to sell certain of his personal property in order to obtain funds for his living expenses. Permission to store his household and other remaining effects was refused. He was informed they must remain in his house and that they would be "looked after" by the Japanese police. Information received by him from Japanese sources indicated that those effects would soon "disappear."

Claim of Frank P. Lockhart, Foreign Service officer, class I.

Mr. Lockhart was assigned to Shanghai at the time war broke out between Japan and the United States. He was not allowed to bring his car back with him on the exchange ship, and the Japanese authorities refused to allow him to sell it. It was necessary for him to abandon it and undoubtedly the Japanese authorities seized it for their own use.

Claim of Frederick D. Hunt, Foreign Service officer, unclassified.

Mr. Hunt was assigned to the consulate general at Shanghai at the time of the outbreak of hostilities between Japan and the United States. The Japanese gendarmerie removed a Studebaker Champion standard sedan from the garage where Mr. Hunt had kept it.

Name

Frederick D. Hunt, Foreign Service officer, unclassified..

Claimed Disallowed Approved

$1,447. 70

$657.70

Claim of H. Lawrence Groves, Foreign Service officer, class II.

$790

Mr. Groves was assigned to the consulate general at Shanghai when war broke out between Japan and the United States. On February 8, 1942, without any previous warning or advice the Japanese authorities seized his 1941 Studebaker President sedan which was in the Mark L. Moody garage in the French concession.

Claim of Carl O. Hawthorne, vice consul.

Mr. Hawthorne was assigned to Tsinan, Shantung, Japaneseoccupied China. He was detained in his home at Tsinan by the Japanese from December 8, 1941, until June 13, 1942, at which time he was sent to Shanghai for repatriation. While under detention he was forced to sell at a sacrifice personal and household effects in order to obtain funds for living expenses.

Claim of Harry Kushner, Foreign Service clerk.

Mr. Kushner was assigned to the consulate general, Tientsin, China, but was on a temporary detail in the Embassy at Peiping at the time hostilities between Japan and the United States began. In January 1942 the Japanese authorities in Tientsin confiscated his radio victrola, leaving a "certificate of seizure" with his servant.

Claim of Richard H. Davis, Foreign Service clerk, unclassified.

Mr. Davis was assigned to the consulate in Tsingtao, China, at the time of the outbreak of war between Japan and the United States. He was confined to the American consular quarters, under guard of the Japanese military authorities, from December 8, 1941, until June 8, 1942. In May he was permitted to pack and bring his household effects from his house to the consular premises. Upon his departure from Tsingtao he was allowed to bring only his clothes and certain effects and the remainder of his effects were stored in the consular quarters. However, the Japanese authorities seized and took away his Mercury convertible sedan and his Scott radio victrola. The Mercury was insured for ordinary risks.

BRITISH CROWN COLONY

HONG KONG

Claim of Robert W. Rinden, Foreign Service officer, unclassified. Mr. Rinden was assigned to Hong Kong in December 1941 when war broke out between Japan and the United States. When Hong Kong fell to the Japanese, Mr. Rinden was informally confined to the Hong Kong-Shanghai Bank Building. There was much looting. Although repeated requests were made that he be allowed to return to his apartment to get badly needed clothing, he was not allowed to do so until the latter part of January 1942. The apartment had been ransacked and most of his property had disappeared.

彝

Mr. Chuck was a Foreign Service clerk at Canton, China. In January 1938, he was assigned to Hong Kong where he remained until July 9, 1940. At that time he was reassigned to the consulate at Canton but was not allowed to take his family with him because of unsafe conditions there. In June 1941 his family was evacuated from Hong Kong but did not take with them their household effects. These were stored with friends in Hong Kong.

On December 7, 1941 when the Japanese entered Canton certain property belonging to Mr. Chuck were seized by the Japanese authorities and no receipts were given him. The effects which were left in Hong Kong must be considered lost or destroyed as a result of the bombing of that city at the time of the Japanese occupation.

Claim of Addison Southard, Foreign Service officer, class I.

Mr. Southard was consul general at Hong Kong at the time war broke out with Japan. Upon his departure from Hong Kong he packed his silver, glassware, dishes, and other household furnishings with the expectation of bringing them with him on the Gripsholm. He was not permitted to do so and they remained in Hong Kong in the hands of the Japanese. On the second trip of the Gripsholm seven pieces of baggage were recovered by Mr. Southard. However, three of the seven pieces were practically empty and, with the exception of the silverware the remaining contents were badly damaged or entirely destroyed.