867N.55/210

The Consul General at Jerusalem (Wadsworth) to the Secretary of State

No. 1352

Sir: Continuing the Consulate General’s series of despatches on the subject of immigration in Palestine, I have the honor to report the issuance of a governmental order dated August 20, 1940, copy of which is transmitted herewith,16 whereby the number of immigration certificates which may be issued during the months of August and September is fixed at about 3,500.

In despatch No. 1289 of May 6, 1940,16 I enclosed and commented on an Order of the Palestine Government dated April 22, 1940, under which the country’s immigration regime was, after six months’ suspension, brought back in line with that announced in the British Government’s White Paper on Palestine of May 17, 1939. The reason for the suspension, it will be recalled, had been the large illegal immigration (16,000 recorded) during 1939.

[Page 844]

This Order of April 22 laid down the policy to be followed during the current semester to end September 30 and authorized, for the first two months thereof, the issuance of an estimated total of 3,000 immigration certificates. The policy envisaged the issuance of a similar number of certificates during the succeeding second and third two-monthly periods of the semester and provided: 1) that, if the authorized number of certificates was not issued in any two-monthly period, the authorized number for the ensuing period might be increased accordingly; and 2) that deduction should be made from the resulting figure of the number of recorded illegal immigrants during the preceding two-monthly period.

The immigration schedule fixed by the Government for June and July was reported in my despatch No. 1309 of June 17 [12], 1940,19 which mentioned that a total immigration of between 4,000 and 4,500 was authorized.

The schedule for August and September is the third, and last, of the three schedules covering the current semester to end September 30. The following table shows pertinent details of this latest schedule:

Jews:  Basic schedule for the two months (i. e., the same figure as those authorized for the first two months and for the second two months of the semester) 1950
Deduct recorded number of illegal immigrants during May, June and July (deductions for the month of April have been made from the provision for certificates in the months of June and July) 366
Total Jews 1584
Others:  Basic schedule for the two months (i. e., the same figure as those authorized for the first two months and for the second two months of the semester) 100
Total 1684
Dependents:  Estimated number of wives and minor children of the above and of immigrants previously admitted 1816
Grand total—about 3500

It will be recalled that in May 1939 His Majesty’s Government declared its policy in regard to Jewish immigration into Palestine in the following terms:

“For each of the next five years a quota of 10,000 Jewish immigrants will be allowed, on the understanding that shortage in any one year may be added to the quotas for subsequent years, within the five years’ period, if economic capacity permits.

In addition, as a contribution towards the solution of the Jewish refugee problem, 25,000 refugees will be admitted as soon as the High [Page 845] Commissioner is satisfied that adequate provision for their maintenance is ensured, special consideration being given to refugee children and dependents.”

In the execution of that policy for the six months April-September 1940, the High Commissioner decided that approximately 9,000 Jewish immigrants would be admitted into Palestine on authorities granted during these six months, namely, 5,000 against the annual quota of 10,000, and about 4,000 against the remaining (unissued) 9,000 of the special refugee quota of 25,000.

For the second semester of the year (to begin October 1, 1940) it was envisaged, therefore, that there would be issued the remaining 5,000 certificates chargeable against the regular annual quota and an additional number of certificates (not to exceed the remaining unissued 5,000) chargeable against the special refugee quota.

Against this still remaining balance of the special refugee quota, however, 300 individual certificates have already been specially authorized (see despatch No. 1309 of June 12, 1940). For the current semester, therefore, total authorizations are as follows:

Period—1940 Individual
Certificates
Estimated
Dependents
April and May 2,050 950
June and July 2,557 1,693
August and September 1,684 1,816
Totals 6,291 4,459

The foregoing table shows that a total immigration of 10,750 has been authorized for the current semester. While this shows an excess above the initially envisaged immigration of 9,000, actual immigration for the semester will in all probability be less than that figure because of the difficulty holders of certificates are having in securing passage to Palestine as a result of the war.

The above statement is borne out by official statistics published by the Government of Palestine which show that 3,840 legal immigrants entered the country during the first six months of 1940 as compared with 9,724 during the corresponding period of 1939, a decrease of approximately 60 per cent. Of the 1940 figure, 3,181 or 83 per cent were Jews, 241 Arabs (6 per cent) and 418 (11 per cent) were others. Of the 1939 figure, 8,509 or 88 per cent were Jews, 91 (1 per cent) were Arabs and 1,124 (about 12 per cent) were others.

On enclosure No. 2 to this despatch20 there are given tables for the periods indicated above, showing immigrants by leading categories. Of special interest in the table covering the first six months of 1940 [Page 846] may be mentioned the number of immigrants classified as capitalists, that is, persons with LP.1,000 and upwards. The total number under this category was 556 or approximately 14 per cent of the total, and the number of dependents on such persons was 790. The combined total of these two figures, viz. 1,346, represented 34 per cent of the total immigrants in this table. During the first six months of 1939 the number of capitalists and persons dependent upon them was 1,869 or 35 per cent of the total registered for that period.

There is given as enclosure No. 3 to this despatch21 a table showing countries of origin of immigrants entering Palestine during the first six months’ periods of 1939 and 1940. In both periods the greatest number of immigrants came from Germany (including Austria), the total 1940 figure being 728 or about 18 per cent of the total for that period, and 6,799 for the first six months of 1939, representing 57 per cent of the half year total. Poland in both periods furnished the second largest number of immigrants, the 1940 half-yearly figure being 556 or 14 per cent of the total, and 1,232 during the first half of 1939 or 10 per cent of the total.

Respectfully yours,

George Wadsworth
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