840.48 Ref/2–2045
The Second Secretary of the British Embassy (Everson) to the Adviser on Refugees and Displaced Persons (Warren)
Dear Mr. Warren: Russell has passed to me your letter of February 13th about Jewish Refugees from the Balkan States.
I have just received a telegram from the Foreign Office who say that in deference to the State Department’s objections, they are prepared to drop their proposal that U.N.R.R.A. should take care of these unfortunate people. The Foreign Office have, however, no alternative solution to offer in the event of further batches of these refugees reaching the Turkish frontier without visas for some destination. As you know the quota of immigrants into Palestine is rigidly fixed;11 immigration into Palestine can therefore make no contribution to the solution of this particular problem.
It is very much to be hoped that your Government’s representations to the Roumanian Government through the Allied Control Commission will have some effect though I personally doubt whether the Roumanian Government has either much desire or the resources to assist these refugees, most of whom are from other countries.
Yours sincerely,
- A British White Paper of 1939 established a quota of 75,000 for Jewish immigration into Palestine during the following 5 years, after which time there was to be no further Jewish immigration without Arab acquiescence; British Cmd. 6019: Palestine, Statement of Policy. For United States interest in this British policy, see Foreign Relations, 1939, vol. iv, pp. 732–810.↩