Between the Lines

Mr. James G. McDonald, High Commissioner for Refugees, who arrives in the United States today, has on many occasions enlightened public opinion concerning the difficulties which he faces in his work. He has, however, never mentioned whether any investigation has been conducted by his office in certain territories where immigration of Jewish refugees may be possible.

There have been numerous reports current recently on the possibilities of opening Angora to Jewish settlement. A Jewish committee was formed in Paris to investigate the possibilities for Jewish settlement in Ecuador. We have heard of the readiness of the Soviet government to permit the settlement of foreign Jews in Biro-Bidjan. A definite invitation was extended to foreign Jews by the French authorities in Syria.

INVESTIGATION ADVISABLE

The question arises whether Mr. McDonald is informed about all these possibilities. If he is informed it is only logical to ask whether Mr. McDonald’s office has undertaken any investigation in these territories.

The statements issued by Mr. McDonald’s office refer often to the fact that about 15,000 of the Jewish refugees from Germany have settled in Palestine. These refugees, however, can hardly be classified in the category falling under the supervision of Mr. McDonald’s office, in view of the fact that almost all of them are capitalists and were permitted to settle in Palestine not as refugees but as ordinary men of capital.

JEWS WITHOUT CAPITAL

The big and the real problem for Mr. McDonald are not the refugees who possess capital but those who have no capital. For their sake it would pay Mr. McDonald to look into all the projects now in the air, such as Angola, Ecuador, Biro-Bidjan and Syria.

Mr. McDonald is to proceed from the United States to South America, where he will investigate the possibilities of settling Jewish refugees in Brazil and in other South American countries. It will be very much to his credit if his trip brings successful results. The criticism levelled here and there against the lack of activities of his office —a criticism which should be directed not against him but against the League of Nations, which is not sufficiently cooperating in the refugee problems— will to a large extent lose its basis when Mr. McDonald returns from South America, with definite projects.

A RARE CHANCE

It must however, not be assumed by Mr. McDonald that the South American countries are the only possible place of refuge for the Jews from Germany and the Saar. Mr. McDonald has a good chance to make a name for himself in Jewish history, not by merely placing a a few Jewish refugees here and there, but when he once and forever finds a territory where Jews—refugees as well as ordinary emigrants—can be settled on a large scale.

It is from this viewpoint it would be advisable for Mr. McDonald to make a thorough study of the reports of possible Jewish settlement in Angola, Biro-Bidjan and other territories.