July 2, 2013
Dear Mr. Snowden,
This correspondence is to acknowledge the receipt of your
letter dated June 29, 2013 requesting asylum from the United States of America
from prosecution for the charge of espionage.
We thank you for think highly enough of us to make this request,
however, after careful consideration, we must decline at this time.
Whereas we are not “beholden to the USA” as you
noted in your letter, we do have considerable business interest within the
borders of that particular country and these could be jeopardized without the
promise of additional revenue streams from other sources if we grant your
request.
Another issue is that, as a Fortune 500 company, we technically
do not have a legal recognized right to grant asylum to individual citizens of
other nations. We do agree with your argument that, for all intrinsic purposes,
we are a sovereign nation unto ourselves. However, from a practical standpoint
our corporate headquarters in Georgetown, Grand Cayman, is a post office box. and to be frank,
whereas it is large enough to hold an individual person, it is not equipped
with the amenities necessary to house and feed political refugees such as
yourself.
If in the future you have issues with the United States of America in the area of taxes or
commercial law, we can make a recommendation for several effective lobbyists in
the Washington D.C. area who have served us well over the
last decade.
If there are any other matters to which we can be of
assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. Good luck in your continuing
endeavors for a new home.
Sincerely,
Gerald Hoffman
Legal Affairs Spokesman
International Business Machines Corporation
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