President of the Baltimore Federal Land Bank, George Stevenson, inquired to Farm Loan Commissioner George W. Norris for a ruling on whether the bank could loan to an “alien-enemy.” The Farm Loan board had responded to a previous inquiry by Stevenson saying only that one’s “alien” status would not preclude them from joining a Farm Loan Association and thus qualifying for a loan. Stevenson replied, asking for a refined ruling applying to aliens who were also “enemies … because of application from several Germans who had applied for loans…”
Farm Loan Board member Charles E. Lobdell replied to Stevenson, stating that the “Trading with the Enemy Act” did not provide any ruling to support denial of access to the Farm Loan System to so-called “alien enemies.” Lobdell informed Stevenson that according to their counsel, nothing could “interfere with the making a loan to a German resident in this country, although not a citizen.” Lobdell wrote again to appraiser W. O. Collier four months later giving the same response to the same inquiry.
Related Documents
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Date
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Creator
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Donated by
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 alien_enemy-17.pdf
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1917
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George Stevenson, George W. Norris, Charles E. Lobdell
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Institution: National Archives and Records Administration
Collection Name: RG 103, Entry 87-A
Box & Folder: b.12 f.3; b.13 f.1,5
Type: Letters
Tags: 1910's, Farm Loan Associations, Farming, Federal Farm Loan Bureau, Finance, Land Banks, Middle Atlantic, Woodrow Wilson