Leland B. Morris
Encyclopedia
Leland Burnette Morris was an American diplomat. He was the first United States Ambassador to Iran
, serving that post from 1944 to 1945. Earlier he was the United States Ambassador to Iceland
. Morris also served as the American Chargé d'Affaires
in Germany during the outbreak of official American involvement in World War II.
on December 7, 1941, the United States was officially neutral and retained a diplomatic corps in Germany. This included future Secretary of State
George Kennan
. Morris, serving as Chargé d'Affaires, was the highest ranking diplomat in Germany at the time (the last United States Ambassador, Hugh R. Wilson, was recalled in 1938 in protest of Kristallnacht
). After the Pearl Harbor attack, on December 11 German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop
summoned Morris to his office and read to Morris Germany's formal declaration of war and addressed him by accusing the United States of violations of neutrality and other acts of war. Upon handing Morris the declaration document, Ribbentrop said, "Your President had wanted this war, now he has it." Official diplomatic relations between the United States and Germany ended.
On December 14, most of the American diplomatic corps still in Germany, including Morris and Kennan, were detained by German authorities and held at a former resort near Bad Nauheim
. In February 1942, though Swiss diplomats, Morris reported conditions of the detainment to his superiors in Washington. While there was relative freedom of movement around the resort grounds, he wrote of food shortages and weight-loss amongst the group. In April, Morris and the other Americans were transferred to Lisbon
, Portugal where they were exchanged for German prisoners being held in the United States.
United States Ambassador to Iran
Prior to 1944, Iran was not served by a United States ambassador; instead, a diplomatic minister was sent instead. After the revolution in 1944, the first ambassador was then named....
, serving that post from 1944 to 1945. Earlier he was the United States Ambassador to Iceland
United States Ambassador to Iceland
Until 1874, Iceland was a dependency of Denmark rather than an independent nation. In 1874, Denmark granted Iceland home rule, which again was expanded in 1904. In 1918, The Act of Union, an agreement between Denmark, recognized Iceland as a fully sovereign state united with Denmark under a common...
. Morris also served as the American Chargé d'Affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
in Germany during the outbreak of official American involvement in World War II.
Service in Germany during World War II
Morris became the American Chargé d'Affaires in Germany in October 1940. Prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
on December 7, 1941, the United States was officially neutral and retained a diplomatic corps in Germany. This included future Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
George Kennan
George F. Kennan
George Frost Kennan was an American adviser, diplomat, political scientist and historian, best known as "the father of containment" and as a key figure in the emergence of the Cold War...
. Morris, serving as Chargé d'Affaires, was the highest ranking diplomat in Germany at the time (the last United States Ambassador, Hugh R. Wilson, was recalled in 1938 in protest of Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
). After the Pearl Harbor attack, on December 11 German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop was Foreign Minister of Germany from 1938 until 1945. He was later hanged for war crimes after the Nuremberg Trials.-Early life:...
summoned Morris to his office and read to Morris Germany's formal declaration of war and addressed him by accusing the United States of violations of neutrality and other acts of war. Upon handing Morris the declaration document, Ribbentrop said, "Your President had wanted this war, now he has it." Official diplomatic relations between the United States and Germany ended.
On December 14, most of the American diplomatic corps still in Germany, including Morris and Kennan, were detained by German authorities and held at a former resort near Bad Nauheim
Bad Nauheim
Bad Nauheim is a town in the Wetteraukreis district of Hesse state of Germany. , Bad Nauheim has a population of 30,365. The town is located approximately 35 kilometers north of Frankfurt am Main, on the east edge of the Taunus mountain range. It is a world-famous resort, noted for its salt...
. In February 1942, though Swiss diplomats, Morris reported conditions of the detainment to his superiors in Washington. While there was relative freedom of movement around the resort grounds, he wrote of food shortages and weight-loss amongst the group. In April, Morris and the other Americans were transferred to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal where they were exchanged for German prisoners being held in the United States.