840.48 Refugees/1056
The Polish Embassy to the Department of State
Memorandum
The present acute situation of the Jewish problem requires not only its fullest consideration and solution on an international scale, but also the immediate settlement of the matter of Jewish refugees coming from Germany into Poland.
The present situation creates for Poland a just right for intervention.
The Polish Government is doing everything possible to assure protection to the Jewish refugees but the development of events in Germany brings about the danger of further greater influx into Poland of the Jewish element which is deprived of means of livelihood. The Polish Government, guided by humanitarian considerations, admits them within its boundaries. It should be stressed that this influx of Jewish refugees must bring about an increase of anti-Semitism in Poland.
In view of the above, as well as in connection with the present proposals of solving the Jewish situation in Germany, it must be stated that:
- 1)
- Any action in favor of the German Jews should also automatically embrace Jewish refugees who have entered Poland.
- 2)
- Irrespective of any immediate action in favor of these Jewish refugees coming into Poland, the commencement of a constructive emigration action on a large scale, must be considered as a very urgent matter. As regards the Jewish element in Poland, numbering about three and a half million, such an action must in the first place take into account the agricultural Jew and about 20,000 Jewish orphans. It must be mentioned that the Polish Jews comparatively constitute a better colonization element than Jews from some other European countries, since Poland possesses about 60,000 peasant Jews, as well as a large percentage of Jews adapted to agriculture or agriculturally inclined. Proof of this may be found in the excellent results obtained from the agricultural work of the Polish Jews in Palestine. Besides, a certain amount of the Polish Jews possess small capital, transfer of which abroad would require merely the removal of the transfer obstacles.
- 3)
- It would be very desirable that a larger emigration quota should be assigned to Poland by the United States. A favorable consideration of the above may to a great extent tend to alleviate the situation of the Jews in Poland.
- 4)
- In connection with the conceptions introduced by prominent Jewish circles regarding the proposed Jewish emigration to certain territories in South Africa, for example to Angola, the emigration requirements of Polish Jews should also find a suitable consideration. [Page 658] In case of a favorable development of these projects Poland would be ready, in return for certain emigration-colonization concessions, to grant assurances at the appropriate moment, that no political or territorial claims would be raised on the part of Poland.