Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1944, General, Volume I

840.48 Refugees/6228: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)⁶⁷

Washington, June 12, 1944—2 p.m.

4641. From the War Refugee Board. On June 9 the President announced to the press that the army camp Fort Ontario Oswego New York has been set aside as an emergency refugee shelter to house 1,000 refugees who are being brought to this country immediately from Italy outside the regular immigration procedure. Refugees will remain in the camp for the duration of the war. The text of the cable despatched to Ambassador Robert Murphy in Algiers on June 8 was released to the press by the President and appeared in the radio bulletin of June 9.⁶⁸ The War Refugee Board is charged by the President with overall responsibility for this project. The army has been directed to take the necessary security precautions to insure that the refugees remain in the camp during the war. The War Relocation Authority is to be responsible for the actual administration of the camp. The Board regards the action taken by the President as a great step forward in the efforts of this Government to rescue refugees in imminent danger of death and to afford all possible relief and assistance to such victims. This step can only be properly appraised against the background of the many vigorous measures taken by the President and the Board in the intensive effort to rescue the victims of Hitler’s extermination policies. The action taken by the President in bringing refugees from Italy to a place of safety in this country should again demonstrate clearly to the world that it is an important policy of this Government to rescue as many refugees as possible. Following this announcement this Government should be in a stronger position to urge Allied and neutral countries to expand their efforts on behalf of refugees. It is the confident hope of this Government that through the joint efforts of Allied and neutral countries many additional lives can be saved. Hopefully, the President’s action will become known in the occupied areas and should have an important psychological effect in convincing the Nazis and their subordinates throughout Europe that this Government is serious in its deep concern for the fate of persecuted peoples. Evidence is already at hand that the efforts of this Government in the refugee field have brought new hope to the persecuted people in the occupied areas and the President’s action should serve as a further manifestation of the effectiveness and security [sincerity] of the humanitarian policy of this Government. With the foregoing in mind kindly bring to the attention of the British Government the action taken by the President emphasizing its significance.

Kindly refer to Embassy’s 4557 of June 7.⁶⁹ In your discussions with the British Government with respect to the question of finding new havens of refuge in the Mediterranean areas, you should make clear that this Government is determined to find havens of refuge for all who can achieve escape from German occupied areas. The President has suggested in addition to the possibilities mentioned in the Department’s 4413 of June 3 the possible availability of Cyprus.⁷⁰ The President also suggested in his cable to Murphy that efforts should be intensified to take refugees from Italy to areas close by.

Consistent with the military situation every effort should be made to give publicity in the neutral countries and in enemy territories to the President’s action and its significance. [War Refugee Board.]

Hull

67. Substantially the same message sent on June 14 to Ankara, Bern, Lisbon, Madrid, Stockholm (circular telegram); on June 15 to Moscow (telegram 1491); and on June 20 to certain American Republics (circular airgram).
68. For text, see telegram 1823, June 8, to Algiers, p. 1059.
69. Not printed.
70. In response to Ambassador Winant’s representations, however, the head of the Refugee Department in the British Foreign Office stated that, in view of the large number of refugee Greeks who had already fled to Cyprus, it would be absolutely impossible to use Cyprus as a haven for any additional refugees.