Evening star., 1941-06-18

German consular officials here
may be leading to complete dip
lon1attc rupture betDeer the tWo
countries. For many months
past, neither Government has
had an Ambassador to the other.
In 1917 Washington broke of re-
ldtions t0tth Berlin nearly ttDo
months in ddUdnce of actual Udr,
but similar action had been taken
against Austria Hungary more
than ttOo years previously.
The State Department today re-
ceived strong German note Of
protest from Hans Thomson. charge
d'affaires of the German Embassy.
against the expulsion of Nazi con-
suls from the United States and the
closing of their offices.
The note was handed to Acting
Secretary of State Sumner Welles,
who made it clear at subsequent
press conference that the American
answer to the protest would be its
complete rejection. Mr.. Welles re-
fused to disclose the details of the
note.
Arrangements will be made for
the return in a few days-presum-
ably to Europe-of the German
consular officers, Mr.. Welles said.
He added that the normal procedure
would be to request the other mon
Germany belligerent governments
for the safe conduct of the officials.
Subject to Proclamation.
Mr.. Welles refused to discuss
whether steps would be taken to
prevent the Nazi consuls from going
into other American countries, but
he said the consuls we're subject to
the Presidents order of Yesterday
controlling withdrawal of funds
from the United States.
The State Department Monday
ordered that all German consular
officials leave the country by July 10,
on the grounds that they had en-
gagged in activities inimical to the
welfare of the United States.
Sharper control over immigration
into the United States is to be in
stituted before July l. authoritative
sources declared today few hours
after the Government had barred
the departure pending further in
structions' of any of the 100000
German nationals now living in this
country, the Associated Press re-
ported
To effect the new strict control
over movements of aliens, boards of
review will be established to pass on
all applications for immigrant visas,
after each application has been
thoroughly investigated.
Applications for the annual quota
of l53,774 immigrant visas at pres
ent are passed on by field Offices Of
the immigration Bureau after-so
Attorney General jackson told Con-
gress-"a rather haphazard' investi-
cation of the prospective citizens
| qualifications and history.
Alien Control Tightens.
The State, Justice, War and Navy
Departments will have one repre-
sentative on each of the five boards
of review to be set up. it was learned,
with the possibility that the Federal
Bureau of Investigation or a special
immigration investigative agency
also will be represented.
The Army and Navy representa-
ton on the boards, it was learned,
is particularly designed to prevent
fifth columnists or subversive agents
of other governments from entering
the United States in the guise of
immigrants.
The order issued yesterday to the
customs and immigration services to
prevent any German nationals from
leaving the United States pending
further instructions" was character
lied as one more move in a general
plan to tighten control over the S.
100000 aliens now here as well as
over the entrance of thousands more,
many of whom described themselves
as refugees from German-occupied
territories.
The immediate objective of the
order, official sources said, was to
make sure that no German national
attempted to evade the White House
proclamation freezing" European
funds in the United States.
At the same time, it was pointed
out in official quarters, the new re-
strictions make it possible for the
United States to control the move
ment of Germans into Mexico and
other Latin American republics
where anti-American propaganda
and subversive activities on behalf
of the Axis powers have been re-
ported.
All Exits Guarded.
Legislation now before Congress
would empower the President to
control the entrance or departure of
all aliens or citizens to or from the
United States. The Presidents order,
which temporarily serves the same
purpose as far as German nationals
are concerned, ordered the customs,
immigration and border patrol serv-
ices to 'cover all possible means of
departure including vessels, trains,
buses, airplanes and international
border roads so that no German
national may leave the country"
While the order technically ap-
plies to all Germans, it was empha-
sized that a vast majority have no
intention of leaving the United
States and that an estimated so per
cent OF the $4,000 here have already
applied for American citizenship.
officials pointed out that the new
legislation, if enacted, would apply
to American citizens as well as
aliens, making it necessary for them
in the future to secure passports or
exit permits before they could visit
adjoining Canada. Mexico, or other
hemisphere countries.
Quotas for Immigrants.
United States quotas for immi-
grants from various countries are:
Albania, 100; Belgium, 1904; Bull
garia, 100; Czechoslovakia, 2,S74:
Danzig, 100; Denmark, 1,181; Es-
tonia. 116; Finland, 569; France.
y