During the war, what happened to the personnel in the embassies of nations who were at war with the Reich in Berlin? For example what happended to British or American personnel assigned to their respective embassies in Berlin during the war? Where they interned? As well what about German personnel at their embassies in cities such as London. Ottawa, Washington, etc? What happened to them?
Carly
Embassies during the war
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Reichssammler
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Re: Embassies during the war
Interesting question, I think many personnels did go back home....but there are many pictures from the destroyed berlin where you can see the embassys.Carly_1965 wrote:During the war, what happened to the personnel in the embassies of nations who were at war with the Reich in Berlin? For example what happended to British or American personnel assigned to their respective embassies in Berlin during the war? Where they interned? As well what about German personnel at their embassies in cities such as London. Ottawa, Washington, etc? What happened to them?
Carly
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Carly_1965
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Here's what happened round about September 3rd 1939: all references sourced from "The Times".
Aug 24th: British Embassy advises all British residents to leave Germany.
Aug 25th: German Embassy advises all German residents to leave Britain
Aug 28th: a report tells of large numbers of Germans leaving via Liverpool St Station. German journalists, including the Embassy Press Attaché Dr Hesser, left by air. The Lufthansa staff was reduced from 12 to one: only the manager Herr Starke remained.
Sep 2nd: The Times carries a picture of large (presumably empty) trunks being manhandled off the roof of a taxi outside the German Embassy the previous day.
Late on Sep 1st the Polish Embassy in Paris announced that M Lipski, the Polish Ambassador in Berlin, had been recalled to Warsaw. He later resurfaced in the Polish Embassy in Stockholm: Sweden had been asked to look after Polish affairs in Berlin.
On Sep 4th The Times reported that "as soon as it became clear that Great Britain and Germany were enemy countries, Sir Nevile Henderson, the British Ambassador, prepared to leave Germany with the Embassy staff, entrusting their affairs to the United States Embassy. In London the German Chargé d'Affaires, Dr Kordt, went yesterday to the Swiss Legation to ask them to take over, and later arranged to leave London from Victoria." A later report makes clear that Henderson and all his staff left Germany by special train, "closely guarded" on Sep 4th. On the same day, Kordt and a group of Embassy staff and businessmen left Victoria at just after 7pm: their train took them to Gravesend where they embarked for Rotterdam on the Dutch steamer Batavia. The whole operation was summed up in the wonderfully bald final sentence: "British and German diplomacy was severed." Just like that .....
Also on Sep 4th there were calls in the House of Commons for the government to urge the US Embassy in Berlin to lodge a protest regarding the sinking of the liner Athenia in open waters on Sep 3rd.
Again on Sep 4th it was reported that the German Embassy in Paris was under police guard. and that a special train carrying the German diplomatic and consular staffs would not be permitted to cross into Germany until official confirmation was received that a train bearing the French Ambassador and his staff had arrived safely in Belgium. This was because in 1914 the French Ambassador and his staff had been detained in Germany for some time after war was declared.
I believe embassy staff are guaranteed safe passage in the event of war involving their country? Geneva Convention or somesuch?
If anyone's interested, The Times also seems to have had a correspondent travelling with the British diplomats in Poland who were compelled to abandon Warsaw ..... an interesting tale!
Aug 24th: British Embassy advises all British residents to leave Germany.
Aug 25th: German Embassy advises all German residents to leave Britain
Aug 28th: a report tells of large numbers of Germans leaving via Liverpool St Station. German journalists, including the Embassy Press Attaché Dr Hesser, left by air. The Lufthansa staff was reduced from 12 to one: only the manager Herr Starke remained.
Sep 2nd: The Times carries a picture of large (presumably empty) trunks being manhandled off the roof of a taxi outside the German Embassy the previous day.
Late on Sep 1st the Polish Embassy in Paris announced that M Lipski, the Polish Ambassador in Berlin, had been recalled to Warsaw. He later resurfaced in the Polish Embassy in Stockholm: Sweden had been asked to look after Polish affairs in Berlin.
On Sep 4th The Times reported that "as soon as it became clear that Great Britain and Germany were enemy countries, Sir Nevile Henderson, the British Ambassador, prepared to leave Germany with the Embassy staff, entrusting their affairs to the United States Embassy. In London the German Chargé d'Affaires, Dr Kordt, went yesterday to the Swiss Legation to ask them to take over, and later arranged to leave London from Victoria." A later report makes clear that Henderson and all his staff left Germany by special train, "closely guarded" on Sep 4th. On the same day, Kordt and a group of Embassy staff and businessmen left Victoria at just after 7pm: their train took them to Gravesend where they embarked for Rotterdam on the Dutch steamer Batavia. The whole operation was summed up in the wonderfully bald final sentence: "British and German diplomacy was severed." Just like that .....
Also on Sep 4th there were calls in the House of Commons for the government to urge the US Embassy in Berlin to lodge a protest regarding the sinking of the liner Athenia in open waters on Sep 3rd.
Again on Sep 4th it was reported that the German Embassy in Paris was under police guard. and that a special train carrying the German diplomatic and consular staffs would not be permitted to cross into Germany until official confirmation was received that a train bearing the French Ambassador and his staff had arrived safely in Belgium. This was because in 1914 the French Ambassador and his staff had been detained in Germany for some time after war was declared.
I believe embassy staff are guaranteed safe passage in the event of war involving their country? Geneva Convention or somesuch?
If anyone's interested, The Times also seems to have had a correspondent travelling with the British diplomats in Poland who were compelled to abandon Warsaw ..... an interesting tale!
hi
if memory serves, David Brinkley (I believe) authored a book entitled "Washington at War". In it, he writes of the detention of Axis diplomats (post-Pearl Harbor) and their detenton at, I believe, the Greenbriar Hotel in West Virginia. Eventually, the diplomats were exchanged. I believe the transport ship was was lighted quite brightly the entire voyage, and that "diplomats" was painted on its side.
Not sure what happened to the embassies, though.
will see if I can find the book and confirm my recollection noted above.
if memory serves, David Brinkley (I believe) authored a book entitled "Washington at War". In it, he writes of the detention of Axis diplomats (post-Pearl Harbor) and their detenton at, I believe, the Greenbriar Hotel in West Virginia. Eventually, the diplomats were exchanged. I believe the transport ship was was lighted quite brightly the entire voyage, and that "diplomats" was painted on its side.
Not sure what happened to the embassies, though.
will see if I can find the book and confirm my recollection noted above.
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Carly_1965
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Just to confirm, in international law diplomatic staff have immunity and in the case of war,they are allowed to leave unharmed. Thus it was that Sir Neville Henderson and his staff were allowed to leave Berlin after war was declared and the same for the German ambassador in London.
I doubt very much that German diplomats were detained in Washington in the sense of imprisoned or interned - that would have been a flagrant breach of international law. More like they were just being "accommodated" until safe transport could be provided. Presumably shipping would be done on a neutral ship to a neutral country like Spain or Portugal.
I doubt very much that German diplomats were detained in Washington in the sense of imprisoned or interned - that would have been a flagrant breach of international law. More like they were just being "accommodated" until safe transport could be provided. Presumably shipping would be done on a neutral ship to a neutral country like Spain or Portugal.
On TV there was a dramatisation of events concerning the Warsaw US Emassy staff after the invasion. Those who were non-Jews reputedly had to travel by train to Berlin.
Not directly applicable but a General Motors employee who worked for Adam Opel AG was somehow forgotten about when all US personnel had supposedly left the company, by February 1941 I think it was. The chap suddenly turned up in the States having caught the last ship out with diplomats and others that were able to leave post-Pearl Harbour. Professor Henry Turner's book GENERAL MOTORS AND THE NAZIS, which I contributed to, mentions a naturalized American of German birth who had continued working at Russelsheim until he and his family were allowed to leave by sea in May 1942 along with US diplomatic personnel stranded in Germany. Prior to that a US diplomat had returned in late October 1941, with information for GM's New York office. Quite where the ship sailed from I have no idea: by train to Spain then Lisbon seems logical.
Not directly applicable but a General Motors employee who worked for Adam Opel AG was somehow forgotten about when all US personnel had supposedly left the company, by February 1941 I think it was. The chap suddenly turned up in the States having caught the last ship out with diplomats and others that were able to leave post-Pearl Harbour. Professor Henry Turner's book GENERAL MOTORS AND THE NAZIS, which I contributed to, mentions a naturalized American of German birth who had continued working at Russelsheim until he and his family were allowed to leave by sea in May 1942 along with US diplomatic personnel stranded in Germany. Prior to that a US diplomat had returned in late October 1941, with information for GM's New York office. Quite where the ship sailed from I have no idea: by train to Spain then Lisbon seems logical.
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phylo_roadking
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Carly_1965
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Re: Embassies during the war
Nazis actually respected international law concerning diplomatic staff. They counted on reciprocity becuase violating international law would jeopardize their diplomats. This aspect of international law is broadly respected by most of nations. There are known exceptions. Mudrer of British ambasador in Russia 1917. and seize of US Embasy in Tehran 1979.
In time of WW2 there was no writen rule about it. 1961. Vienna Convention is accepted by all nations. Vienna Convention regulates all known matters of immunity, salvus conductus etc.
In time of WW2 there was no writen rule about it. 1961. Vienna Convention is accepted by all nations. Vienna Convention regulates all known matters of immunity, salvus conductus etc.
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michael.cullen
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Re: Embassies during the war
Am unsure when the question was posed as to what happened to American and German diplomats during WWII. Here is a partial answer - all of it is in German, at Die Zeit, 3 July 2008, under 'Kriegerische Idylle'.
The members of the US Embassy - including George F. Kennan - plus some US journalists, were interned at the Grand Hotel Jeschke in Bad Nauheim, Germany, starting around December 15th, 1941, and repatriated aboard the Swedish ship Drottningholm via Lisbon in May, 1942. The members of the German embassy in Washington and some German journalists were rounded up and interned at the Greenbriar Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia for the same duration; they also were repatriated aboard the Drottningholm in May, 1942.
There are English language accounts in the American Foreign Service Journal of August and September 1942, as well as in Prologue (US National Archives Journal) of the Spring of 1985.
Michael S. Cullen, Berlin, Germany
The members of the US Embassy - including George F. Kennan - plus some US journalists, were interned at the Grand Hotel Jeschke in Bad Nauheim, Germany, starting around December 15th, 1941, and repatriated aboard the Swedish ship Drottningholm via Lisbon in May, 1942. The members of the German embassy in Washington and some German journalists were rounded up and interned at the Greenbriar Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia for the same duration; they also were repatriated aboard the Drottningholm in May, 1942.
There are English language accounts in the American Foreign Service Journal of August and September 1942, as well as in Prologue (US National Archives Journal) of the Spring of 1985.
Michael S. Cullen, Berlin, Germany
Re: Embassies during the war
Sir George William Buchanan was ambassador to Russia during the Revolution and ended his career in the Vatican.South62 wrote:Nazis actually respected international law concerning diplomatic staff. They counted on reciprocity becuase violating international law would jeopardize their diplomats. This aspect of international law is broadly respected by most of nations. There are known exceptions. Mudrer of British ambasador in Russia 1917.
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Mario in Miami
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Re: Embassies during the war
It is my understanding that all Axis diplomats in Washington were removed to a relatively safe area and kept in Asheville, NC at the Grove Park Inn, a then-modern (still, today BTW) dignified place, in keeping with their status until they could be subsequently repatriated to their home countries, the German, Italian and others via Sweden (mostly sailing upon the Gripsholm. As typical with Germany, the rule of diplomatic law was observed, causing the complete repatriation of American diplomats, also via the same channels.
A rather sad event took place on the other side of the world, in Manila, where Japanese forces, towards the end of their occupation of that city, invaded the grounds of the Spanish diplomatic mission (which was the protective power taking care of US interests), killing dozens of both, Spanish diplomats and Filipinos who had take refuge there, as well as in other Spanish protected grounds wile, at the same time, attacking various religious institution, killing priests, brothers and sisters, most notably at the La Salle brothers school. Ironically, a few of the brothers were German citizens, while others were Belgian or Spanish who were asking the respective Japanese officers not to kill their Filipino charges. Japan never satisfactorily explained this causing a rupture of relations with Spain while WWII was still an ongoing event.
A rather sad event took place on the other side of the world, in Manila, where Japanese forces, towards the end of their occupation of that city, invaded the grounds of the Spanish diplomatic mission (which was the protective power taking care of US interests), killing dozens of both, Spanish diplomats and Filipinos who had take refuge there, as well as in other Spanish protected grounds wile, at the same time, attacking various religious institution, killing priests, brothers and sisters, most notably at the La Salle brothers school. Ironically, a few of the brothers were German citizens, while others were Belgian or Spanish who were asking the respective Japanese officers not to kill their Filipino charges. Japan never satisfactorily explained this causing a rupture of relations with Spain while WWII was still an ongoing event.