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Treasury Department FOREIGN FUNDS CONTROL February 2,1945 AMENDMENT TO GENERAL RULING NO. 11 UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 8389, AS AMENDED, EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 9193, SECTIONS 3(a) AND 5(b) OF THE TRADING WITH THE ENEMY ACT, AS AMENDED BY THE FIRST WAR POWERS ACT, 1941, RELATING TO FOREIGN FUNDS CONTROL.* General Ruling No. 11 is hereby amended by deleting the following from para graph 4(b) (ii) of such general ruling: “ that portion of Belgium within continental Europe;” HERBERT E. GASTON Acting Secretary of the Treasury *Appendix A ; Sec. 3 (a ), 40 Stat. 412; Sec. 5 (b ), 40 Stat. 415 and 966; Sec. 2, 48 Stat. 1; 54 Stat. 179; 55 Stat. 838; Ex. Order 8389, April 10, 1940, as amended by Ex. Order 8785, June 14, 1941, Ex. Order 8832, July 26, 1941, Ex. Order 8963, Dec. 9, 1941, and Ex. Order 8998, Dec. 26, 1941; Ex. Order 9193, July 6, 1942; Regulations, April 10, 1940, as amended June 14, 1941, and July 26, 1941. 45-1 (over) This publication was digitized and made available by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas' Historical Library (FedHistory@dal.frb.org) TREASURY DEPARTMENT Washington FOR RELEASE, MORNING NEWSPAPERS Friday, February 2,1945 Press Service No. 44-93 The three-year blackout on business and commercial communications with Belgium was lifted today by the Treasury Department. This action coincided with the restoration of closed letter service with liberated Belgium and is a further step in the resumption of normal relations with the liberated areas of Europe. As in the case of France, Treasury licenses no longer are required to exchange financial and commercial information with persons in liberated Belgium. Concerns in Belgium and the United States may resume business contacts and negotiate for the commencement of private trade. Creditors may communicate with their debtors in Belgium to pave the way for obtaining payment orders or documents to substantiate their claims. Banks, brokerage houses, and other financial institutions may advise their customers of the status of their accounts. Bank statements, financial records, commer cial reports, wills, and death, birth and marriage certificates may be transmitted. Proxies may be solicited and signature cards may be obtained. As soon as banks in this country are able to establish the necessary arrangements with Belgian banks, support remittances up to $500 per month to individuals in Belgium may be made through banking channels under General Licenses Nos. 82 and 83. Cur rency, money orders, checks or drafts cannot be used for this purpose, since their transmission continues to be prohibited. Treasury licenses will still be required to send to Belgium communications consti tuting or containing instructions or authorizations to effect financial or property trans actions. For the present, the Treasury Department will not in general authorize the transmission of transactional communications, except those relating to support remit tances or the protection, maintenance and management of property interests in Belgium. Today’s action was in the form of an amendment to General Ruling No. 11 remov ing Belgium from the category of “ enemy territory.” Belgian areas still under the con trol of the enemy will continue to be regarded as “ enemy territory” and will remain subject to the restrictions contained in the General Ruling. The action taken today does not affect the status of Belgian assets in this country. For the present, telecommunica tion service with Belgium is not available to private persons.
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