840.48 Refugees/5847a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Spain (Hayes)
1108. From War Refugee Board. The Spanish Government has on several occasions in the past, as the result of intercession by the Holy See whose humanitarian efforts on behalf of the persecuted refugees of Europe have resulted in the saving of thousands of lives, extended protection to groups of Sephardic Jews in Axis occupied areas and has intervened with Germany to accomplish their evacuation to Spain after release from concentration camps.
The War Refugee Board has now been informed that 400 such Sephardic Jews residing in Athens have recently been interned in a concentration camp. To forestall deportation to Poland and almost certain death it is vital that these Sephardic Jews be given Spanish protection.
You are requested to approach appropriate Spanish officials to advise them of the situation of this group and to enlist the aid of the Spanish Government in the rescue of these refugees. You are authorized to give full assurance to the Spanish Government that funds will be available for the support in Spain of such of these persons as may be evacuated to Spain and that prompt action to speed their departure from Spain to other places of refuge will be [Page 1036] taken. Kindly advise the Department of all developments in this matter.1
The foregoing has been repeated to Bern for Tittmann.2 [War Refugee Board.]
- Spanish representations were instrumental in saving from imminent deportation to Poland a group of some 500 Sephardics, presumably including the 400 deported from Athens, all of whom were allowed to leave German concentration camps and proceed to Spain; most of these Sephardics were transferred to Camp Lyautey.↩
- Harold H. Tittmann, Jr., Assistant to the Personal Representative of President Roosevelt to Pope Pius XII (Myron C. Taylor), and Chargé in absence of the Representative.↩