Saarlanders who have become Americans may lose their citizenship if they vote in next month’s Saar plebiscite, Maurice B. Gladstone, attorney, of 11 West Forty-second street, said yesterday in a letter to Secretary of State Cordell Hull.
The lawyer asked that Mr. Hull issue a warning to this effect.
“Any exercise of any form of suffrage of any American citizen of foreign birth in their home countries or in any other foreign country jeopardizes their status as American citizens under the Presumption of Expatriation Act (Section 17, Title 8, U. S. Code),” the letter said.
“These citizens are unaware of the consequences of their voting in the Saar plebiscite, in that there is a possibility that a bill in equity would lie to revoke their citizenship on the ground that in swearing allegiance to our Constitution, they never intended to forego allegiance to their country or origin.
“They are unwittingly permitting themselves and their families to lose their citizenship and in their interests I respectfully request that you direct our consular offices in the Saar region to publicly advise all American citizens of the possible consequences of such an act on their part.”
The letter was made public following departure of another contingent of 320 Saarlanders yesterday morning aboard the liner Deutschland en route to vote in the plebiscite.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
