Evening star., 1940-10-13
Americans Abroad
Experience Trouble
Getting Funds
Currency Restrictions
Disrupt Normal
Channels
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
The State Department has gone
into the banking business to the
tune of about a half million dollars
in the past year to help Americans
in European war areas, but getting
money to live on is still q major
problem over there.
The money sent through diplo-
matte channels to stranded and
working Americans abroad was not
Government funds. 1t was put up
by relatives, friends or business firms
for remittance through the State
Department as the war and conSe-
quent currency restrictions disrupted
normal banking channels.
1t started with the German in
vasion of Poland and has followed
the course of Nazi military opera
tions through Scandinavia, the Low
Countries and France, where about
IS per cent of the remittances are
now going. The three Baltic coun-
tries recently absorbed by Soviet
Russia also figured on a small scale
in the diplomatic banking opera
tionS.
In these countries President Roose-
velt's orders freezing the assets in
the United States of their nationals
have added to the financial en-
barrassment of Americans abroad.
For in these orders Americans living
in the countries affected at the time
of the freezing were classed as
nationals and subjected to the same
restrictions.
Two Orders Bring Relief.
Two recent presidential orders
have brought some relief to Ameri-
cans abroad and to friends, relatives
or dependents of persons In the
United States from whom they had
been receiving subsistence funds
regularly.
Under one Of these. $3.50 month
may be sent without a Treasury
license to an American in these
European countries This sum- how
ever. can't be taken from frozen
funds of the American in that
country. 1t must come from the
funds OF relative, friend or other
persons. Before this order was is
sued, Treasury license had to be
obtained for each remittance, which
sometimes meant long delays.
Treasury spokesmen said that the
handling of license applications from
Americans abroad had been speeded
since the administrative status oi
occupied territories had been
cleared up. They added that every
recent license application from an
American had been cleared in less
than three days.
/ The other order permitted re-
sumption of regular remittances up
to $50. and $40 for each additional
/ dependent, from Americans in the
United States to relatives or friends
abroad
/ Must Have License.
| An American in France, for ex-
ample, who had a banking account
in the United States at the time
the French assets were frozen. u
still can't get this money without
Treasury license. but he can have
some one else send him up to $3.50
a month-and an additional $3.50 if
he intends to use it to pay his ex-
penses home.
Therein lies an anomalous situa-
ton for Americans in France and
some of the other countries. For
British residents there can 20 to
the American Embassies or CONSUL
ates and collect 10 pounds (about
$40 a month.
This Is because the British gov
ernment has arranged with the
United States to advance up to this
amount as minimum living expenses
to British subjects who produce a
British passport or otherwise prove
their nationality. British funds are
supplied for these payments, which
are in the nature of loans to the
British subjects in those countries.
Around the first of each month,
accordingly, British subjects, for
example, living in Vichy, France,
and vicinity take their passports to
the American Embassy. sign the
necessary papers and leave with a
NEST egg" for the month.
Americans watching this pro-
cedure while vainly waiting days
or weeks for money they have ca
bled for have kept the Embassy
busy explaining, according to word
from Vichy.
Many Americans in France, the
correspondent wrote, already have
been forced to borrow from more
fortunate fellow-citizens or French
friends while becoming progressive