The first group of the 200 Dutch refugee families, about half of them Jewish, who will find a haven in the Dutch East Indies under an agreement between the Joint Distribution Committee and the Dutch Government-in-Exile, has already reached Batavia, JDC Executive Vice-Chairman Josephy C. Hyman, disclosed today. This forerunner group consists of 92 persons. The refugee group had found asylum in Lisbon following the German invasion of the Lowlands.
The agreement provides that the Dutch Government shall pay for the transportation of the refugees to the East Indies, with the JDC providing $10,000 for their settlement. The JDC has already guaranteed this sum, Hyman said, with the permission of the United States Treasury Department.
“Our original commitment for this project was $7,500,” Hyman said, “but following our talks with the High Commissioner for Dutch Refugees in Lisbon, the number of settlers was increased, necessitating a corresponding increase in our appropriation.
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