868.51 Refugee Settlement Commission/147
The Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State (Dulles) to the Secretary of State
The Secretary: The Sunday papers printed the report that former Ambassador Morgenthau had been selected by the League of Nations as Chairman of the Refugee Settlement Society which is to take up the problem of the refugees in Greece. As this matter may be raised in press conferences, the following information may be helpful.
At meetings of the Finance Committee of the League of Nations which were held in June and July last, and which Mr. Dolbeare and [Page 376] Colonel Logan attended in an advisory capacity, it was decided to form a refugee settlement society to assist the Greek Government in settling refugees on lands owned by the Greek Government. For this purpose it was proposed to float loans in England, and if possible in the United States, and Greek banks undertook to make certain preliminary advances. It was proposed that the Refugee Settlement Society should be directed by a Committee with an American chairman with casting vote, a British representative, and two Greek representatives.
In communications which were received from the British and French Embassies, under date of August 9 and July 30,54 the Department was asked whether it would assist in carrying out the program which had been outlined by the League of Nations. To these notes the Department replied, under date of September 10, indicating that the American Red Cross did not desire to be represented on the commissions which the League proposed to form but under certain conditions would assist by making a further grant of money. The Department suggested that further information with regard to the attitude of the two relief societies—the Red Cross and the Near East Relief—could be obtained by direct inquiry of the society.
The Near East Relief at first indicated to the Department that it felt it would be desirable for it to cooperate with the League and the Greek Government in selecting an American chairman for the Refugee Settlement Society, and they presented to the Department a tentative list of names of persons55 whom they were considering, informally asking our advice. The Department replied that it would not pass upon any such list; that the selection by an American relief agency of an American chairman would undoubtedly be taken to indicate abroad that further substantial sums of money would be forthcoming from this country, which did not appear to be the case, and that if the Greek Government or the League of Nations desired an American chairman there would appear to be no objection to their making the choice directly.
… The last information which I received by telephone from Mr. Vickrey, almost a week ago, was to the effect that the Near East Relief would not itself suggest any names but it would indicate to the League that if the latter made a choice it would be glad to cooperate.