840.48 Refugees/4816: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 29—4:30 p.m.]
8328. Upon receiving Department’s telegram 7287, 17th, regarding proposal for refugee relief through International Red Cross we wrote Director of Intergovernmental Committee on November 18 and have now received his reply dated November 26 as follows:
“In reference to your letter of November 18 in the matter of a proposal to provide food, clothing and medicine to remnant groups of surviving Jews in central Europe, may I first call your attention to my letter of November 10 dealing with this question. We still await a reply from the International Red Cross Committee in Geneva to the original cabled and written enquiry which went forward in the middle of October; but we are informed by the Committee’s delegate in London that last week on his own initiative he cabled asking for speed.
The Director’s office appreciates the Department of State’s urgent desire that a decision may be made favourable to the proposal, but it is of course necessary—as emphasized in your letter of October 1 by which this matter was referred to us—to present somewhat specific projects for consideration by the Executive Committee of the Intergovernmental Committee. In an effort to combine promptness with definiteness and acting on the basis of recent information, we have now had an additional conference with the International Red Cross Committee’s representatives in London and as a result they are cabling to Geneva again along the following lines.
They are asking for a cabled reply to our original enquiry giving such details as are possible concerning particular projects. In addition they are asking the International Red Cross Committee to give urgent consideration to the possibility of a further arrangement whereby funds might be placed at its disposal to enable it to take advantage of opportunities as they arise of meeting emergency needs.
Such an arrangement would, it is being pointed out to the International Red Cross Committee, depend on the fulfillment of three conditions: First, that the German Government obtain no benefit from the execution of any project; second, that there must be assurance of supplies reaching the intended beneficiaries; and third that an account be rendered.
The International Red Cross Committee is being requested after consideration of the above tentative proposal to cable the amount of an initial advance which could be expended during the next 3 months. As soon as a reply from Geneva permits us to do so we shall present the matter for consideration by the Executive Committee—which was informed at its meeting on November 18 of the State Department’s original letter of October 1 and the preliminary action taken thereon.
A copy of this letter is being sent to Mr. Randall at the Foreign Office.”