840.48 Refugees/5–3045: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom ( Winant ) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 30—3:45 p.m.]
5424. For Dept, WRB and Earl Harrison. In connection with items 1 and 2 of agenda of twelfth meeting of Executive Committee which deal with proposed operational expenditure by Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees in France, Belgium and Iberian Peninsula, FonOff official stated today that Lord Winterton, Brit Rep on IGC, has been instructed notify Committee tomorrow along following lines:
Brit Govt has given its approval to this proposed operational expenditure. However, Brit Ministers are examining possibility of approaching UNRRA with view to latter’s taking over maintenance work and other similar work which IGC at present carrying on. Ministers considering possibility that until nonrepatriability of refugees is definitely established (Embtel 5353, May 2854), such work may more properly come within purview of UNRRA and that there should not be two organizations, UNRRA and IGC, the work of which overlap.
- Not printed: it reported that the British believed that every effort should be made to repatriate refugees in order that the responsibilities of IGC could be cut, and that strict tests as to the nonrepatriability of refugees should be applied (840.48 Ref/5–2845).↩