Senator Gillette Asks for Establishment of More “free Ports” in the United States

The immediate setting up of temporary refugee shelters in the United States in addition to the one established by President Roosevelt at Fort Ontario was urged today by Senator Guy Gillette, Iowa Democrat, addressing the opening session of the two-day National Conference to Save the Jewish People of Europe, held at Hotel Commodore.

In a report submitted to the conference, the Emergency Committee to Save the Jewish People of Europe claims credit for having proved to the leaders of the Allied and neutral nations and to the general public that large numbers of European Jews could be saved during the war without impairing the war effort and that it brought the facts of the problem and the need for government action to the attention of the topmost leaders in our Government.

“From its inception, the Emergency Committee campaigned for the establishment of temporary rescue camps in neutral countries and in territories controlled by the United Nations,” the report said. “With the creation of the War Refugee Board, the first aim of the Committee – the establishment of a mechanism – was accomplished. The next immediate problem was to set up specific camps and shelters. Here, too, the Committee found support in the press, especially in the suggestion of Samuel Grafton that “Free Ports” be established. It was obvious that the United States must take the initiative in order to bring pressure on other Allied and neutral countries. On April 18th, John W. Pehlc, Executive Director of the War Refugee Board, declared that the Board was considering the establishment of rescue camps in the United States.”

Predicting that the tempo of of Jewish massacres in Nazi Europe “may be greatly speeded up as Hitler’s day of reckoning draws near,” the report urged the immediate perfection of all plans of rescue.

“At the present time several hundred thousand Jews in Hungary can be rescued if sufficient temporary shelters can be found for them in Allied and neutral countries,” the report stated. “Other satellite nations may soon follow Hungary’s example, if the United Nations act speedily and decisively to move these people to places of safety. If this is not done – all of us will share the guilt of the Nazi butchers. Future generations will write their own condemnation of a group of nations, who had it in their power to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent people, and would not raise their hands to give the signal.”