Office of the Historian

548.D1/257

Recommendation Adopted by the Permanent Committee of the High Commission for Refugees (Jewish and Other) Coming From Germany81

Doc. No. A/145
[London,] October 16, 1935.

Recommendation Concerning the Constitution and Activity of a Central Organisation for Refugees

The Permanent Committee,

Taking note of the Resolution adopted at the Assembly of the League of Nations concerning centralisation of the work for refugees, and in particular of the provision for the nomination of an Experts Committee, which, it is hoped, will report to the Council of the League in January, 1936;

Confirming its previous Resolutions in favour of the integration of the work of the High Commission within the League of Nations;

Recommends that:

1)
A central organisation to be created by the League of Nations, which would assure the continuance of the work on behalf of the groups of refugees for whom the League of Nations has already taken responsibility, be established at the earliest possible moment;
2)
The functions of the organisation be the legal and political protection of refugees in the countries where they are, and negotiation with Governments to secure possibilities of immigration of refugees; it being recognised that the work of relief and settlement will be the concern of the private organisations;
3)
The organisation consist of two principal bodies:
(a)
A High Commissioner or other official of the League, appointed by and responsible to the Council, who would be the executive head of the organisation, and who should include amongst his staff persons qualified to deal with the question of refugees from Germany.
(b)
A League Commission composed of persons in the public service of the various Governments, representatives of the principal organisations concerned with refugees and of other persons all to be appointed by the Council of the League and chosen in every case because of their special experience in refugee problems. The League Commission in case of need should obtain the opinion of all or any of the private organisations engaged in the work.
4)
The administrative budget of the organisation be part of the general budget of the League.

  1. Copy transmitted to the Secretary of State in letter of October 25, 1935, from the Secretary General, forwarded by the Chargé in the United Kingdom in despatch No. 1789, October 29. Covering letter and despatch not printed.↩