760F.62/1667
The Leader of the Democratic Sudeten Germans and Member of the Czechoslovak Parliament (Wenzel Jaksch) to the American Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy)21
Your Excellency: May I, as leader of the democratic Germans in the Sudeten areas, ask you to submit to President Roosevelt the following appeal?
In the Sudeten areas there ½ million people stood until the last moment by the ideals of democracy (Socialists, Catholics, Jews). Point 8 of the Munich agreement provides for only a onesided amnesty for Nazi prisoners on Czechoslovak territory. Many thousands of democratic Sudeten Germans having exposed themselves to great risks for their democratic ideals, are now threatened by the revenge of the Henlein people. Their only fault is that they have defended democracy within a democratic state. We appeal to President Roosevelt to raise his voice for a humanitarian treatment of the democratic Sudeten Germans, for the release of the prisoners and for stopping persecution in the Sudeten areas.
We further beg most urgently for the granting of a special quota for qualified democratic emigrants from the Sudeten areas, who can not find new homes on the remaining Czechoslovak territory.
Finally we emphasize that President Roosevelt would render a great service to the ideals of humanity if he could persuade the people of USA to initiate a campaign in favour of the refugees from the Sudeten areas.
Your obedient servant
- Copy transmitted to the Department by the Ambassador in his despatch No. 1302, October 8; received October 17.↩