Office of the Historian

840.48 Refugees/1–2245: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Minister in Ireland (Gray)19

Washington, January 22, 1945—8 p. m

20. The following from Department and War Refugee Board refers your 9 of January 17.20

[Page 1125]

Kindly express to Irish authorities appreciation this Government of their humane initiative in the matter of threatened Jewish inmates of German camps.

Department and Board, in this connection, would greatly appreciate it if Irish Government could inform German Government that Government of the United States has noted the reply of the German authorities to Ireland, and that this Government accordingly confidently expects that the German authorities will keep alive the Jewish and other survivors of these and other concentration, detention and labor camps in Germany and German-controlled territory.

It is urgent that this communication reach German authorities with the greatest possible speed, because of nearness of Oswiecim and Birkenau to the front.

Stettinius
  1. A similar telegram was sent as 368, January 22, 10 p.m., to Bern.↩
  2. Not printed; it stated that in reply to inquiries by the Irish Government the German Government had stated that the rumors of German intentions to exterminate the Jews in Oswiecim, Hoss, and Birkenau camps were pure inventions and that if the camps were abandoned the inmates could be evacuated (840.48–Refugees/1–1745).↩