840.48 Refugees/685: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in the United Kingdom ( Johnson )
472. For Taylor and Rublee. Your 807, August 23, 5 p.m. Your paragraph 3. Our purpose is to alleviate the lot of these unfortunate people whether or not at any given moment they have already left Germany, and paragraph 8 (a)17 of the Evian resolution makes it clear that the Committee’s scope includes both. While the assurances mentioned by Makins accordingly appear superfluous no objection is seen to Rublee giving them.
Your paragraph 4. We have no comment to make except concerning point (c). The Committee’s function of negotiating with the countries of refuge is equal in importance to its function of negotiating with Germany. It will become more important if the negotiations with Germany do not achieve the desired result. The distinction between persons who have not already left Germany and those who have appears invidious, not only because we feel that this humanitarian effort should make no distinction between the two but because all involuntary emigrants will of course pass from the former to the latter stage in the process. It is nevertheless realized that the scope of the High Commissioner and of the new League organization as outlined by the May Council resolution18 is limited to the latter category and that the functions of the new organization must be specifically defined. It would therefore be desirable if a definite agreement could be reached that the Commissioner’s negotiations in respect of this category should be carried on through the Committee. (In other words, the negotiations would probably be carried on by the Director with the representatives on the Committee of countries of refuge, backed up by American, and possibly British and French, diplomatic assistance at the capitals concerned). While it may not be possible to secure inclusion in the League resolution of an explicit statement to this effect, we hope that its language will at least contain such an implication.
Makins’ desire for assurances regarding equal opportunity for the two categories appears in itself to imply a belief that the principal negotiating will be done by the Committee. You may be able to use the assurance authorized above as a trading point.