Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1938, General, Volume I

840.48 Refugees/896: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy) to the Secretary of State

London, November 14, 1938—6 p.m.
[Received November 14—5:30 p.m.]

1311. From Rublee.

(1) The attack on the Jewish community in Germany on the one hand and the indifference of the participating governments to the fate of the victims on the other has brought the affairs of the Intergovernmental Committee to a critical stage where, in our opinion, immediate action is required if the President’s initiative is to lead to a positive result.

(2) I believe that, as a first step, the officers of the Intergovernmental Committee should meet before the end of this week with me and my assistants and that an announcement of the fact that this meeting will take place should be made forthwith to the press. This meeting will be an indication to the German Government that its present activity is not a matter of complete indifference to the governments participating in the Intergovernmental Committee. It will, at the same time, furnish me with an opportunity to report and formulate recommendations regarding (a) the contributions of the countries of refuge and settlement; (b) the negotiation with Germany; (c) the problem of the transfer of the property of involuntary emigrants, and (d) the future of the Committee.

(3) With regard to the countries of refuge, that is, the countries surrounding Germany, I shall report that the illegal crossing of frontiers by refugees has such proportions that the local authorities of these countries can no longer cope effectively with the situation. The consequence is that they have been obliged to ship refugees back to Germany indiscriminately and with a disregard of the probable consequences to the unfortunate people, many of whom have been immediately thrust into prison camps. I shall report that the Belgian and Dutch authorities, at my request, abated this practice of refoulement somewhat on the understanding that I was about to go to Berlin, but that, if my visit to Germany fails to materialize, they will be obliged to resume refoulement and throw back into Germany many of the people whom they are now holding in special camps.

(4) As regards the countries of final settlement, I shall report that, with the exception of the United States, which has maintained its quota, and the British Isles, which are admitting immigrants at a current months rate equal to the rate immigrants are being admitted to the United States, doors have been systematically closed everywhere to involuntary emigrants since the meeting at Evian. I shall report that I have discussed the possibilities of immigration with representatives of the Latin American Republics, with the commissioners representing the British Dominions, with spokesmen for the colonial empires, and have met with a negative response. New laws and decrees are going into effect each week which render the position of the involuntary emigrant more difficult. The process of infiltration is wholly arrested in many places where it was active previously. New places of settlement have not been opened up, with certain exceptions so limited as not to be worthy of being taken into consideration. As an example, I might cite the fact that after negotiation the British Colonial Secretary last week agreed that the Empire could take 25 settlers, in Kenya, and that possibly the families of these people might be permitted to follow at a later date.

(5) I shall report that the only constructive indication I have received is that some of the governments of the countries of settlement might be willing to reconsider the situation should I be successful in persuading the German Government to permit the involuntary emigrants to leave with substantial amount of property. In other words, these governments might be willing to consider the case of propertied settlers where they will not even discuss the case of indigent refugees.

(6) I shall then outline the approach which has been made to the German Government and report the latest information which seems to be that my chances of being received are receding although the door has by no means been finally shut.

(7) I shall emphasize once again that the crux of the negotiation with the highest consideration is the question of transfer and report the efforts which I have made to formulate and discuss with leading governments a plan which might be acceptable both to the German Government and to the governments participating in the Intergovernmental Committee.

(8) I shall impress on the officers of the Committee the importance of pressing the German Government for a definite “yes” or “no” to the request that I be received, since, if weeks are permitted to go by without a definite answer from the German Government, the work of the Committee will stagnate.

(9) I shall point out that if the answer of the German Government is finally in the negative, a method will have to be found to continue the Intergovernmental Committee in some form which is complementary to, and not a duplication of, the League High Commission, possibly in line with the British suggestion that the Intergovernmental Committee be constituted into an advisory body to the Commission. It must be obvious that if there is no negotiation with Germany, continuance of this office cannot be justified. The problem then will be one of maintaining the process of infiltration wherever small streams are permitted to trickle, and this function can best be performed by the private organizations in conjunction with the League Commission which is organized and equipped for the purpose.

(10) In conclusion, I shall reiterate my conviction that there can be no real appeasement as long as large numbers of people are kept in fear of their lives and uncertainty as to their fates, and urge upon the Governments participating in the Intergovernmental Committee, in the interest of peace, a greater degree of cooperation in the solution of our problem.

For your information, the public reaction in Great Britain to the recent attack on the Jews in Germany is deep and widespread. For the first time since my arrival in London, I feel that recognition is finding its way in high political quarters that the mistreatment by Germany of a half million oppressed people is a definite obstacle to general appeasement in Europe. [Rublee.]

Kennedy