840.48 Refugees/3523
Memorandum by the Adviser on Political Relations (Duggan)
After consulting Mr. Reber (Eu)45a I telephoned Señor Salvador Duhart, First Secretary of the Mexican Embassy, in response to the [Page 479] Ambassador’s request for information with regard to the status of refugees in North Africa.
I told Señor Duhart of the assurance of Darlan46 that there would be a progressive restoration of property to all Jewish refugees that had been seized under German pressure and that there would also be returned to Jewish refugees the right to practice professions. The situation in North Africa is not a simple one, for the reason that there are 17,000,000 Moslems who do not enjoy equal status with the 300,000 Jews. In order to prevent complications which might have an effect upon military operations the French authorities thought it desirable to release Jewish refugees progressively.
I said that there were some 40,000 refugees in all in North Africa, whether Jewish refugees or Spanish Republican refugees or others. It would clearly not be desirable to release these 40,000 people all at once, since most of them were completely destitute. Arrangements could be made to release those refugees for whom funds had been provided to take care of them or if the government of the country of which they were citizens was prepared to repatriate them. In the case of Spanish Republican refugees, in which the Mexican Government was particularly interested, it was obvious that the present Spanish Government would not provide funds for their maintenance in North Africa nor would these refugees wish to be repatriated even though offered the chance. I concluded by stating that if there was any specific information which the Mexican Government desired regarding this situation we would be glad to make an endeavor to secure it.