840.48 Refugees/3045: Airgram
The Minister in the Dominican Republic (Warren) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 29—12:40 p.m.]
A–50. The Foreign Minister26 sent for me this afternoon. I met the British Minister27 leaving the building. He informed me that Despradel had asked for his reaction on a proposed gesture by the Dominican Government to offer asylum to 3,500 Jewish refugee children now in unoccupied France. The British Minister replied that, he would take the matter under advisement.
When I saw Despradel he said he wished to tell me informally that the Dominican Government contemplated offering asylum to 3,500 Jewish refugee children recently arrived in unoccupied France with their parents from other parts of Europe and requested my views. I informed him that the American Government had for some years been interested in alleviating the condition of children in the war areas; of Europe, but that owing to practical difficulties only a few hundreds, of such children had arrived in the United States. Despradel stated that his Government did not contemplate accepting parents and that no practical arrangements had been made. I told him that any gesture [Page 467] for the relief of children was always appreciated. He repeated his Government intended to make a gesture and contemplated no practical arrangements. I then gave him the history of American efforts to offer asylum to large numbers of British children in 1940 and tried to learn the inspiration of the contemplated gesture without success; I am continuing some discreet inquiries.
It may be interesting to note there is in the capital today the manager of Sosúa seeking interview with the President28 to obtain cancellation of a police order requiring immediate departure from the capital and return to Sosúa of 50 malcontent Jewish refugee settlers. These persons were encouraged to leave Sosúa because they were-troublemakers and while in the capital are supported by the Joint Distribution Committee of New York.