Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1942, General; the British Commonwealth; the Far East, Volume I

840.48 Refugees/3428

The Minister in the Dominican Republic (Warren) to the Assistant Secretary of State (Long)

[Extract]

Ciudad Trujillo, September 28, 1942.
[Received September 30.]

Dear Mr. Long: I hate to impose on your good nature to ask you to read the enclosed, somewhat lengthy letter to George Warren,³⁸ and if you approve it to send it along to him. For the background on his letter, I am also enclosing his original letter to me³⁹ together with a copy of a letter I wrote Mr. James Rosenberg on September 10.

You may note in my letter to George Warren that after a lengthy discussion I advised against asking the Dominican Government at this time to admit any more adult refugees either from Curaçao where the Dutch are holding, in the equivalent of a concentration camp, some 26 persons, or from Europe where there are several groups of refugees mentioned by George Warren whom he wishes to bring here.

The truth of the matter is that the Dominican Government, and by that I mean President Trujillo, does not want any additional adult refugees in this country. He has instructed his Foreign Office and his Immigration Service not to admit any such persons nor to revalidate visas previously issued except on his personal instruction. … His objection to admitting adult refugees has no relation to his offer to Marshal Pétain to facilitate the entry of some 3,500 children between the ages of 3 and 14. That suggestion is in my opinion related to current pressures now operating against you to reopen the gates in the United States.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sincerely,

A. M. Warren

[Enclosure]

The Minister in the Dominican Republic (Warren) to the Chairman of the Dominican Republic Settlement Association (Rosenberg)

Ciudad Trujillo, September 10, 1942.

My Dear Mr. Rosenberg: I had yesterday your letter of September 1, 1942, with its attached clipping from the New York Times, dated August 29, relating to an offer made by President Trujillo to Marshal Pétain to give asylum in this Republic to 3,500 unaccompanied refugee children between the ages of 3 and 14 who are now in unoccupied France.

The Dominican government consulted with me about this proposal before the offer was made and inquired what my attitude would be. I advised the government of the various efforts that had been made in the last three years to give asylum in the United States and in Canada to children from Great Britain and from the Continent who might thus be removed from the immediate horrors of war. I ventured to suggest also that such a gesture, if made by President Trujillo, especially on a personal basis, would have world-wide repercussions.

The proposal, as you may have heard from other sources, is that President Trujillo has informed Marshal Pétain of his willingness to underwrite the cost of transportation and to provide homes in this country for 3,500 unaccompanied refugee children who may now find themselves in unoccupied France and whose departure from France to the Dominican Republic would be permitted by the French government.

A reply was received day before yesterday from the French government to the effect that Marshal Pétain welcomed President Trujillo’s expression of interest in this matter and that studies would be undertaken to ascertain the situation in France with the view to determining what categories of children and how many would be in a position to accept the Dominican President’s offer.

For your purely personal and confidential information I may add that some prominent Dominicans of position and means have been approached to inquire how many refugee children they are prepared to accept in their homes.

I have seen quite a little of Mr. Arons⁴⁰ in the last several days when he was in the capital negotiating on the police order that would have required the compulsory return to Sosúa of some fifty settlers who had been encouraged to leave the colony prior to Mr. Arons’ arrival on the grounds that they were unsuitable psychologically or physically for inclusion in the project.

Mr. Arons has undoubtedly written you concerning the conclusions of his negotiations. He kept me currently informed of their status and in my opinion conducted these discussions with the local authorities and with Dr. Ortega Frier⁴¹ with considerable acumen and spirit. I have reason to believe that he inspired Dr. Ortega to make much stronger representations to the President than he had been disposed in the past.

I have not yet been to Sosúa because in the first place I want to make a surprise visit and in the second place I should like to give Mr. Arons at least three months on which to form an estimate of his accomplishments.

I think at this time the situation is generally good, but there are, I am aware, continuous difficulties and some dangers that have to be watched very closely. I have reason to believe that this is being done and that its prospect is, generally speaking, better than might be expected from the inherent situation.

Mr. Arons tells me that he hopes to fly back to the United States soon to give you an oral report and also to bring his wife down here. I think this a good idea in both directions.

With all best wishes to you, I am

Sincerely,

A. M. Warren

38. Copy not found in Department files.
39. Dated September 14, not printed; it stated that the Netherlands authorities had continued to request a final disposition of the remaining group of passengers from the S. S. Cabo de Hornos who were accepted for temporary residence at Curaçao, November 1941, and that a reply indicating no objection to the application by the Dominican Republic Settlement Association to the Dominican Government for visas for this group would be appreciated. It set forth the desirability of facilitating the immigration to the Dominican Republic of close relatives of the settlers at Sosúa, and some staff members and employees of the Joint Distribution Committee and closely affiliated organizations in Europe.
40. S. Arons, Dominican Republic Settlement Association, Inc.
41. Legal Counsel and Secretary of the Dominican Banco de Reservas.