Back Where You Came From

Shepherded by a Coast Guard tug and three tootling patrol boats, the Swedish-American liner Drottningholm nosed into New York Harbor. She had come through the most dangerous waters in the world, with 40 searchlights playing on Swedish flags painted on her hull and on the word "DIPLOMAT" in letters 13 feet high. Aboard were 114 Americans repatriated from Norway and Sweden. In other ships, similarly lighted and on similar missions, there was under way last week the greatest exchange of diplomats and belligerent nationals in history.

Thirty-six countries were involved in the exchange of what might reach as high as 10,000 persons, shuttling, under Swiss and Spanish auspices, in channels between New York, Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro and Lourenc,o Marques. It was a headache for the U.S. State Department and a heartache for many of the Axis nationals, whose positions ranged from accredited diplomats and consuls to suspected fifth columnists and trade "experts" booted out of Latin America. Included were ordinary citizens and nondiplomatic "notables" accepted for repatriation, newspapermen, hundreds of wives, children and dogs.

Most anxious not to return (because of the bleak life in Germany) and most stuffy about arrangements were the Germans. In New York, where the Drottningholm was making ready to carry 940 Axis repatriates home via Lisbon, they denounced so loudly the mixing of diplomats and notables that the sailing was all balled up. In Brazil they protested the accommodations on a ship especially refurbished for a Brazilian-Axis exchange via Lisbon. In other South American countries, acting on their own initiative, they asked permission to stay even if interned. Others wangled or wandered into Argentina and Chile, only two countries left where they were officially welcome. Wherever they could, they bought up all the silk stockings and leather goods in sight.

Japanese in the Americas and Americans and Britons held in Japan were to rendezvous later in the port of Lourenc,o Marques in Mozambique.

Japan, officials said, was "not responding" as yet to moves for the release of Americans in the Philippines.

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