DECLARATION OF ISRAEL REGARDIE

circa April 1929

Being summoned on March 5th to appear at the Bureau des Etrangers in Paris, presumably on a matter of my carte d'identié, which had been refused me on February 20th on the grounds that it was not yet ready, I went on the 8th to the Prefecture of Police. I handed over my Recipissé on the request of a clerk, and waited for some considerable length of time,—which wait I surmised at the time to be caused by the search for the card. I was extremely surprised, when, instead of receiving the identification card, a pink slip—a "Réfuse de Sejour" was handed to me. I was so utterly stunned, especially so as it ordered departure from French territory within 24 hours, that I was unable to ask questions as to the why and wherefore of such action. But I understand Madame de Miramar [Maria de Miramar] (Sir Crowley's fiancée, who was also summoned at the same time) to have quoted their remark that "they have heard what we have done." The clerk also stated that a similar paper would be served on Sir Crowley, who at the time was in bed with a very severe attack of the influenza, in the course of the afternoon.

That afternoon, I called upon Mr. W. E. de Courcy the American Consul at 3, rue des Italiens, Paris, and requested him to ascertain what charges were held against me, and to intervene on my behalf with the French Government.

The following morning I again called to see what was the result of his visit to the Prefecture. He admitted that there were no charges against me at all, merely that I was the secretary to Sir Crowley who was also being expelled. When asking what charges, then, are proffered against Sir Crowley, he gave the very enigmatical, and unsatisfactory, answer "I did not memorize the dossier."

There was nothing to be done but to obey the decree and leave France. Accordingly, Saturday evening, Mme. de Miramar and myself set sail from Dunkerque [France] for Tilbury [England] on the "Alsace."

Shortly after 7 a.m. the following morning, the immigration officers at Tilbury refused us admittance, principally on the ground of our being unable to show sufficient proof that we would not become public charges during our stay. Mr. Gerald Yorke, who had met us at the quay, volunteered to guarantee this, and also in case of emergency my return passage to the United States. But no attention was paid to this.

We were sent back to the ship. When going to my room in the course of the afternoon, I took my key and locked the door on the inside, as I wished to lie down for a short while. A few moments later, the captain or the commissaire—I am not sure what his office was—knocked at the door and remarked that it was unnecessary to lock the door on the inside, but that if I wanted anything to ring the bell, With this last remark, he locked the door on the outside, and removed the key. In short, I was virtually a prisoner on the boat all afternoon. For what offense?

The cabin was very small. The air was humid and stiflingly hot. At about 6 p.m., I rang the bell to be let out on deck to get some fresh air, and found Mme. de Miramar pacing the deck like myself. We were not alone, but found ourselves followed all the time either by the commissaire or one of the stewards.

A few minutes after 8 p.m., a detective from Scotland Yard, accompanied by an Immigration Officer came on board and requested permission to search my trunk. It so happened that I had a set of old Tarot cards in my possession, and this called forth a remark from one of the two men "Is that black magic?" Furthermore, my own personal and private property, my diary, and a set of the typescripts of "The Confessions of Aleister Crowley" came in for some very close scrutiny and examination.

The boat sailed at 11:30 p.m. for Dunkerque. Once more the cabin door was locked on me, despite the fact that the boat was in motion.

At Dunkerque, on the 11th, we were permitted to land some considerable time after the other passengers had done so. From Dunkerque we went to Dunkerque Central to gather information about Belgium. At 10:10 we took the train to Lille [Belgium], where Mme. de Miramar obtained a Belgian visa. I being an American citizen did not need one.

March 20th, I forwarded a letter to my Consul, informing him of the fact that my separation from Sir Crowley, on who I was dependent for a living, was in the nature of a death-sentence, as it were, for me and I urged him to do all in his power to obtain an annulment of my "Réfuse de Sejour." It was not until more than two weeks after that I received his reply; to the effect that the Embassy in Paris did not see upon what grounds a protest to the French Government might be made because of a report held against me at the Sureté Générale. This letter, containing as it does remarks which were entirely in opposition to his personal statements, caused me to write requesting an abstract of the charges proffered against me. No answer came to this at all. Therefore on the 20th of April, I wrote him once more advising that since he had refused to help me in a time of need. I would be obliged to appeal to the Department of State in Washington for an investigation into this matter.

Two days later, I received a reply in answer to mine of the 6th, stating that the Embassy definitely declined either to set forth the charges against me, or to intervene in the matter of my expulsion from France.

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