Denial by the Greek Minister to the United States, Ch. Simopoulos, that his government had issued an order prohibiting Jews from entering Greece unless given special permission by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was made known here today. Announcement of such an order was contained in a Jewish Telegraphic Agency dispatch from Salonica which stated that instructions to all Greek consulates in foreign offices had been issued requiring them to inquire by cable of the Foreign Office in Athens whenever a Jew applies for a Greek visa.
Minister Simopolous, in denying the report, offered the following interpretation of the instructions sent out by his government:
‘EXPLAINS’ ORDER
“There are some restrictions for the permanent establishment of aliens in Greece and, due to the fact that lately many groups arrived in Greece in transit, not having the entrance permit to their ultimate destination, so as to facilitate the control of the passports in Greece, the Consular authorities have been requested not to issue passports unless a previous permission has been granted, and as far as transit visas are concerned, to mention the permit of their entrance to their ultimate destination.” According to the report of the official announcement by the Greek government, foreign Jews proceeding to Palestine through Greece will not be permitted to cross the Greek frontier unless they have Palestinian visas on their passports. Jewish leaders in Greece have interpreted the order as a specific discrimination against Jews, since the same restrictions are not intended to apply to foreign citizens of other religions.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
