United States who spends his minority in the foreign country of his parents' nationality is not expressly required by any statute of the United States to make the same election as he approaches or attains his majority. It is nevertheless believed that his retention of a right to demand the protection of the United States should, despite the absence of statute, be dependent upon his convincing the department within a reasonable period after the attaining of his majority of an election to return to the United States, there to assume the duties of citizenship. In the absence of a definite statutory requirement, it is impossible to prescribe a limited period within which such election should be made. On the other hand, it may be asserted negatively that onewho has long manifested no indication of a will to make such an election should not receive the protection of the United States save under the express approval of the department."

It thus appears that, as late as 1925, when the Department issued its "Compilation" including the circular instruction of November 24, 1923, it was the view of the Department of State that the Act of March 2, 1907, had not taken away the right of a native citizen on attaining majority to retain his American citizenship where he was born in the United States of foreign rents. We do not think that it would be a proper construction of the Act to hold that, while it leaves untouched the right of election on the part of a child