860C.4016/513

The Ambassador in Poland ( Biddle ) to the Secretary of State

[Extracts]
No. 195

Sir: In continuation of the series of despatches submitted by this Embassy on significant developments affecting the Jewish population [Page 557] of Poland, I have the honor to inform the Department that the opening of the present academic year in Poland was marked by the definite establishment by official action of the so-called ghetto in institutions of higher education with the result that Christian and Jewish students are now required to occupy distinctly separate sections in class and lecture rooms.

The Department will recall, particularly from the university situation described in my predecessor’s despatch No. 1599 of April 15, 1937,58 that anti-Semitic students had been endeavoring for some time to establish the “ghetto” in Polish universities. These efforts had met during the past 2 years with firm resistance on the part of Jewish students and the authorities were compelled on several occasions to close individual institutions for fairly long periods in order to put an end to student disturbances arising in connection with anti-Semitic activities of nationalistic student organizations. However, these organizations were able despite substantial opposition from the authorities fairly effectively to enforce the physical separation of Christian and Jewish students during periods when the schools were actually in session.*

I have been informed that the rectors of the several Polish universities and other higher educational institutions decided at a meeting held some time in September to establish by institutional regulations the separation of Christian and Jewish students. This action was taken with the consent of if not actually directed by the central authorities and ostensibly was based on the desire to end the disturbances which had occasioned the suspension of work on several occasions during the past few years in many institutions, The regulations issued under the authority of the rectors of the individual institutions which have so far come to the attention of the Embassy make no specific [Page 558] mention of the intent to separate Jewish and Christian students but simply provide in various manners for the designation by the school authorities of the seats to be occupied by the individual students or student groups.…

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jewish student groups are no more inclined to accept the present regulations than they were willing to comply with the unofficial efforts of anti-Semitic students to enforce in the past few years an unofficial “ghetto” arrangement. They have protested strenuously to the educational authorities and have encountered no difficulty in enlisting the active support of important Jewish organizations in appealing for the cancellation of the regulations to the central authorities.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Embassy does not think it likely that the protest of Jewish organizations will be of much avail in this matter. As stated above, the decision to create the “ghetto” was sanctioned, if not actually directed by the Polish Government, and it is quite unthinkable that this action would be reversed, particularly in view of the fact that it has met with almost universal approval in the racially Polish press. In fact, the Minister of Cults and Public Instruction in a nation-wide radio address delivered yesterday on the occasion of the new school year pointed out that “quiet in the institutions of higher education is a condition essential to the future development of Poland” and added that in the exercise of his responsibility for the normal conduct of the educational activities of the country he is “forced to use means to which recourse would not willingly be taken” except to avoid the spread of confusion and anarchy.

On the other hand, it is pertinent to point out that the issue involved is greater than that of the separation of Christian and Jewish students in the schools. I am informed that leading Jewish circles are convinced that the successful establishment of the “ghetto” in the schools will soon bring a strong demand on the part of anti-Semitic elements in Poland for the extension of the system to other fields of life. They anticipate in particular that pressure will be brought on the authorities to provide “ghetto” accommodations on public transportation facilities, special sections in theaters for Jewish spectators, and a general separation of the Jewish and Christian elements in many other fields of activity. It is in order to avoid encouraging such demands by easy compliance with this first step that Polish Jewry [Page 559] is organizing a strong resistance to the establishment of the “ghetto” in the universities and other institutions of higher education.

Numerous nationalistic Poles take it for granted that the extension of the ghetto system in Poland is both desirable and inevitable as time passes and greet with satisfaction movements such as the one under discussion in that direction. Anti-Semitic circles, naturally, express great satisfaction with any new development tending further to segregate the Jews in Poland, and I am attaching hereto as indicative of that feeling a translation of an article60 entitled “The University Ghetto” which appeared in the Warsaw Warszawski Dziennik Narodowy of October 6, 1937.§

Respectfully yours,

A. J. Drexel Biddle, Jr.
  1. Not printed.
  2. The Christian students followed the practice of locking arms in order to obtain exclusive occupancy of the benches on the right hand side of lecture halls and class rooms in the endeavor to force the Jewish students to occupy the benches on the left side. The Jewish students definitely refused to accept voluntarily any such arrangement and numerous disturbances took place. They solved their problem by following the practice of standing in the aisles and at the rear of the room thus leaving the “ghetto” benches on the left side completely vacant. It is reported that Jewish students have stood through all class room exercises and lectures in this fashion for the past two years. Numerous of the younger Jewish students have not sat down during their entire university careers. [Footnote in the original.]
  3. The Warsaw Goniec Warszawski of October 6, 1937, states in this regard “The Cabinet of Premier Składkowski decided lately: … (2) Instructions issued by Rectors of Universities dividing the seats between Poles and Jews. Polish circles welcome the instructions issued by Rectors of Universities ordering a distribution of seats separating Jews and Poles. This will greatly contribute to the pacification of youth and the restoration of the proper atmosphere of study at the Universities. Since this instruction is parallel to the reduction of the percentage of Jews at schools—there is no doubt that it will have a calming effect on the excited youth, which had a fatal effect on their study.” [Footnote in the original.]
  4. According to information obtained from Jewish sources, the Jewish Senators and Deputies have promised to use every resource at their command in opposing the University ghetto. They intend to raise the constitutional question in their discussions with the authorities by claiming that these regulations deny to Jewish students the equal treatment guaranteed therein to all Poles. [Footnote in the original.]
  5. Not printed.
  6. The official Polish Telegraph Agency P. A. T. released the following statement on October 8, 1937, which indicates that the Government initiated the action of the rectors: “The Minister of Cults and Public Education received on the 7th of this month a delegation of Jewish members of the Diet and Senate, senators Schorr and Trockenheim and members of the Diet Gottlieb, Mincberg, Rubinstein and Sommerstein.

    The Minister stated that during the last meeting of the Rectors of the Universities he appealed to them that, keeping within the University laws and regulations that empowers the rectors to take certain measures to preserve peace and order, they should use all the means there are at their disposal to prevent acts of violence taking place.

    The regulations issued by the rectors have this aim. By reserving separate seats for individual students or for the members of the various university associations, the rectors have made an attempt to keep order at the universities and prevent fights for seats from taking place.” [Footnote in the original.]