548.D1/213
The American Representative on the Committee for Refugees From Germany (Chamberlain) to the Under Secretary of State (Phillips)
My Dear Mr. Phillips: I much appreciate your writing me at length on the matter of the American Government contribution to the funds for the High Commission for Refugees coming from Germany. I have sent a cable to Mr. McDonald containing the essence of your letter and asking him to let me know if other governments have taken action to pay their share of the expenses.
I deeply regret that there has been a misunderstanding. Mr. McDonald told me of his conversation with the President and with Secretary Hull, and both of us were hopeful that this country would take an advanced position in offering to share in the expenses of the High Commission on the condition that other countries would do the same. I assume that this is where the misunderstanding arose, as Mr. McDonald believed that if the United States would make the offer to share in the expenses, conditional on other countries doing the same, that the other important countries would quickly follow suit. He even was hopeful that both the English and French Governments might make a similar conditional offer in the course of the winter.
Would it be possible for the President to seek from Congress authority to pay the share of the United States in the expenses of the High Commission, when the other governments represented on the Governing Body of the High Commission have agreed to pay their share? If the Government were authorized to make this offer, it would involve no payment of money until the condition set by the President was fulfilled.
Expressing my appreciation of your letter, I am,
Very sincerely yours,