840.48 Refugees/847: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy)
654. For Rublee. Your 1244, October 25, 8 p.m. We are reluctant to have the already extremely difficult task of the Committee further complicated. We nevertheless feel that the situation of the Sudeten refugees is such that they come fully within the spirit of this Government’s initiative and therefore that the scope of activity of the Committee should be extended to cover them.
Inclusion of these people within the Committee’s province naturally should not lead to any discrimination in their favor and this Government cannot countenance any such discrimination. This should be made clear to the British and assurance that they sincerely share our feelings on this point is essential before we can agree to the proposed extension of the Committee’s activity. We would consider the Sudeten refugees to be fully assimilated to those involuntary emigrants now coming within the competence of the Committee and expect its full weight, including the active influence of Great Britain, to be used on behalf of the combined categories.
It is possible that the Sudeten refugees may contain a higher percentage of agriculturists or other types more easily assimilable into new economic and social structures than is the case in Austria and the old Reich, but we cannot countenance any discrimination between involuntary emigrants upon racial or religious grounds. We accordingly propose the following language for the suggested communication, beginning with the last sentence of the first paragraph.
“These involuntary emigrants are in precisely the same position as involuntary emigrants from Germany and the old Reich. It is desirable on the grounds of equity and humanity that no individuals or groups should be placed in either a more or less favorable position than other individuals or groups who are forced by the same causes to emigrate. It is therefore proposed that involuntary emigrants from the areas formerly included in the Czechoslovak State which have been transferred to Germany should be assimilated to other involuntary emigrants from Germany, including Austria, and should be regarded as coming within the scope of activity of the Intergovernmental Committee.”
We consider the suggested words “action of the same Government” undesirable in view of the impending negotiations with that Government. The last paragraph of the suggested communication would remain the same.
We see no objection to a British official going to Czechoslovakia to investigate conditions there but we do not wish you or Pell to go.