840.48 Refugees/694: Telegram
The Chargé in the United Kingdom (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 25—3 p.m.]
819. From Rublee. Your 472, August 24, 6 p.m. Before we proceed further I believe that it would be useful to recapitulate the division of work of the League Commissioner and this office as it stands at present. Malcolm and his associates have been for some years and are day by day in negotiations with all the countries of refuge and with nearly all the countries of final settlement, including those in Latin America. Each week he is able the [to?] place batches of around 50 to 100 refugees, and he has the full support in this work of all the governments of the countries surrounding Germany which have a refugee problem on their hands, notably of the British Government. These governments profess to be fully satisfied with the League Commission’s work and they have made it plain to us that they will continue to support the Commission and strengthen it at the Assembly meeting in September by giving it further powers and by appointing a more active commissioner with an efficient staff. It has been made very clear to us that the countries concerned will not agree to any interruption of the League Commission’s work.
This office is looked upon in first instance as a medium for negotiation with Germany which is, for obvious political reasons, a task which the League Commissioner is unable to perform. Although negotiations with Germany are bound to be very difficult, we and the other governments participating in the Intergovernmental Committee are assumed to be predicating our policy on the ultimate success of these negotiations. In other words, we are looking forward to a time when involuntary emigrants from Germany will move directly from the country of origin to the place of final settlement and not through countries of refuge as your telegram suggests. The French, Belgians, Dutch and others have made it plain that they will not permit the emigration from Germany which will we hope result from our negotiations, to pass across their territory. The French have been particularly emphatic in stating that this emigration must go from German ports directly to the country which have offered places of settlement.
In the meantime the countries of refuge hope that there will be no interruption of the work of the League Commissioner in evacuating refugees now on their territory to places of final settlement. The two streams in future must move simultaneously, and, in a reasonable ratio between persons directly from Germany and persons in temporary refuge.
[Page 773]It seems clear to us from this that the French, Belgians and others attach first importance to the evacuation of persons already within their territorial limits, and in consequence they are inclined to throw their full support behind the League Commissioner. They are not directly concerned with the fate of those persons who are still in Germany but since this office has been set up to assume the task of directing their removal they will give us some support because ultimately that will relieve the pressure which is causing persons to cross their frontiers irregularly. They are willing to support us, however, on the condition which has been made plain to us in the last week, namely, that we will give assurances in advance that we, in evacuating involuntary emigrants from Germany, will not force into the background the work of the League Commissioner in removing personnel in temporary refuge. If we fail to give these assurances, I fear that the support to the Intergovernmental Committee of countries of refuge will be reluctantly forthcoming.
I am convinced that Malcolm does not intend to raise objections to negotiation by the Director with the countries of final settlement for the purpose of determining the total number of involuntary emigrants to be received by each of these countries. He and the governments which are supporting him wish, however, to be assured that there will be an equitable distribution between the emigrants coming directly from Germany and those who are outside Germany and have not found a place of final settlement. If we through diplomatic means are able to open up places of settlement which the League Commissioner has been unable to do our position will be tremendously strengthened. Much, as you will see, depends upon the type of support which we are given in negotiations with the countries of Latin America and it is for this reason that I feel that a great deal more than the immediate issue is at stake in our negotiation with the Brazilian Government with regard to the vice chairmanship. In this connection it is now arranged that the meeting of the officers shall take place on Thursday next. It is important that every effort shall be made to have a Brazilian representative present. [Rublee.]