Paris Parley Maps Fight on Refugee-dumping by Gestapo

Representatives of leading American and European refugee relief organizations conferred here yesterday with the Assistant League of Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Gusteve G. Kullman, on how to combat dumping by the Gestapo of refugees from the Reich on German steamers bound for overseas lands to which entry visas are not required for holders of German passports.

Using the above privilege, the Gestapo is dumping refugees into Shanghai and other overseas territories by the thousands, landing them in miserable condition. By forcing them on German steamers and consigning them to territories where it expects to land them, the Gestapo is exposing the refugees to the possibility of not being admitted at their destination ports and thus becoming wanderers on the high seas. Such a case occurred at Belize, in British Honduras, where 83 Jewish refugees were not permitted to land from the German steamer Caribia. While the Belize case is the subject of intervention by Jewish relief organizations in London, thousands of other Jews are reported wandering on the high seas aboard German steamers.

Although nothing can be done to influence the Gestapo to abandon its dumping methods, the conference considered how to cope with the problem. The conference also discussed the League’s work for refugees, especially High Commissioner Sir Herbert Emerson’s latest trip to Czechoslovakia in connection with 4,000 refugees from the Reich whom the Czechoslovak Government has ordered to leave by the end of January or be deported to Germany. It is understood that, due to Sir Herbert’s intervention, the ultimatum has been rescinded for the time being. Another factor in the Government’s reconsideration of the ultimatum is the $80,000,000 Anglo-French loan to Czechoslovakia with the stipulation that part of the money be used in financing emigration.