Messersmith, G.S.
Date
2011-06-15
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press
Abstract
Description
Axel Wennergren, Swedish industrialist, went to Mexico to live about the time U.S. entered war; he was on U.S. "blacklist" and could therefore not secure visa to go to U.S.; such funds as he had in U.S. were blocked and he had no disposal of them; when Messersmith arrived in Mexico City in 1942 he found Wennergren making quite a splurge; he was generally considered to be extremely wealthy, and was saying he wanted to invest all his money, which he said amounted to half a billion dollars in Mexico; many Mexicans were interested in having the money invested there, and Messersmith was pressured on all sides to do what he could to get Wennergren off the blacklist, but he knew why Wennergren was on the list, and that nothing could or should be done to get him off; Messersmith knew personally of his collaboration with Nazis and his support of their movement; on a visit to Washington, Messersmith talked with Roosevelt about the matter, and Roosevelt agreed that Wennergren should not be given visa; on a later visit to Washington Messersmith called on [Edward R.] Stettinius and received real shock when Stettinius told him he understood Messersmith was holding up Wennergren's getting visa to come to U.S., and that Roosevelt wanted him to have the visa; knowing the President's views, Messersmith was certain Stettinius had got his instruction secondhand, and asked him to call the President on his direct line; he didn't call the President, but Messersmith heard nothing further from him about it.
Keywords
Messersmith, George S. (George Strausser), 1883-1960.