The plans for establishing a “free port” for refugees from Europe in an abandoned military camp somewhere in the United States “are going forward at full speed,” John W. Pehle, executive director of the War Refugee Board, disclosed tonight, addressing the Rededication Day rally of the United Jewish Appeal at the Hotel Astor.
Stressing that speed was of the utmost importance in refugee aid because of the rapidity with which the situations affecting the menaced Jews change, Mr. Pehle revealed that reports have reached the WRB indicating that plans are afoot in German-occupied Italy to raise the anti-Jewish campaign there to the same level of intensity as in Hungary, which, he said, is the worst danger spot for Europe’s Jews today. “We are reliably informed,” Mr. Pehle added, “that negotiations are being concluded for the deportation to Poland and death of 300,000 Jews who have been in concentration camps in Hungary since the German occupation.”
The WRB director announced, during the course of his address, that Ira A. Hirschmann, who, as the WRB’s representative in Turkey, was responsible for the escape of several hundred Jews from the Balkans, is returning to Ankara. Mr. Pehle paid tribute to the work of Mr. Hirschmann and Ambassador Laurence Steinhardt in Turkey, and also to the activities of the voluntary agencies engaged in rescue work, especially the Joint Distribution Committee.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
