Britain Issues Statement on Admission of More Refugees to Its Territories

The British Government and its colonies will be glad to examine the refugee situation “with a view to finding out whether there is still a possibility, in spite of all other demands on food and space, of taking even further refugees into British territory,” it was announced by British official quarters here today following the suggestion made by the U.S. Government that British and American representatives meet at Ottawa “for preliminary exploration” of ways and means of helping Nazi victims to emigrate from Europe.

The announcement emphasized the disadvantage of further reception of refugees in Great Britain and pointed out that Palestine received 18,000 legal immigrant between April, 1939 and September, 1942 and is to receive additional 29,000 Jewish children with a proportion of adults by March 31, 1944. It revealed that the British Government wants to see the refugee problem “dealt with internationally instead of as hitherto by private charity or by individual governments in isolation.” The full text of the British statement released through the British Information Services read.

“The British Government recently proposed to the United States Government that the problem of refugees from Nazi-occupied territory should be dealt with internationally instead of as hitherto by private charity or by individual governments in isolation. In an aide memoir handed to the Department of State by the British Minister, Sir Ronald Campbell, on January 20, 1943, attention was drawn to what may be “an unlimited demand” for accommodation on the part of refugees threatened by Germany’s extermination policy. It was suggested in the aide memoir to the American Government that the time for unilateral and piecemeal action is past and practical measures must be taken.

“The aide memoir listed at some length what Great Britain and her colonies are doing for refugees already. Great Britain herself, in spite of a prevailing stringency of food and housing under war conditions, is accommodating, besides Allied forces and merchant seamen, nearly 100,000 refugees, while the contribution of some of the colonies is given as follows: Jamaica maintains an additional population of over 3,000, more than half of whom come from Gibraltar; Mauritius has taken 1,500 emigrants from Palestine and 1,000 Greek refugees; Cyprus has given hospitality to an additional population of 4,830, nearly all from Greece; The East African Colonies, with a European population of 30,000, are finding accommodation for no less than 90,000 refugees, including 21,000 Polish refugees from Persia.

“In addition Palestine received 18,000 legal immigrants between April 1939 and September 1942, while information has just come through that 4,000 Jewish children and 500 adults are to leave Bulgaria for Palestine. The British Government has in addition undertaken to receive in Palestine, if the necessary arrangements can be made, up to 29,000 Jewish children with a proportion of adults by March 31, 1944.

“The British Government suggested to the United States Government that the most efficient method of handling the matter would be an immediate informal conference which would determine what each government is doing already, and would be able to ascertain what further action could be taken to receive refugees. In the event of the general suggestion of international cooperation proving acceptable, the British Government and the colonies would be glad to examine the situation with a view to finding out whether there was still a possibility, in spite of all other demands on food and space, of taking even further refugees into British territory. The disadvantage of further reception of refugees in Great Britain is that all additional persons received require not only shipping to transport them there, but also new shipping demands to cover their food and other supplies when they have once arrived.”