Swift Exit of Refugees from Belgium, Holland Urged by Emerson

The urgent necessity of evacuating German Jewish refugees from Belgium and the Netherlands because of the possibility of a German invasion was stressed today by Sir Herbert Emerson, League of Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and director of the Intergovernmental Refugee Committee, after a tour of the low countries. There are approximately 20,000 refugees in the Netherlands and 22,000 in Belgium.

Conferring with Jewish relief organizations here, Emerson said he considered it their principal duty at present to facilitate speedy emigration of the maximum number of refugees possible from the two countries. This task must be put above all others, even above emigration of Jews from the Reich, Emerson said, because it is clear that if these refugees again fall into the Nazis’ hands they will suffer more than the Jews in the Reich.

Emerson, who planned to leave for London today, also visited the French Committee for Assistance to Jewish Refugees from Germany and was surprised to learn that of more than 30,000,000 francs spent by the committee during 1939, 21,500,000 francs were contributed by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. The funds were used to assist about 17,000 refugees, many of whom are now in the French Foreign Legion or in isolation centers.

While in Paris, Emerson was also acquainted by the HIAS-ICA Emigration Association with the situation of the more than 8,000 Polish Jewish refugees now in Lithuania. Their number was originally 12,000, but has been decreased by individual and collective emigration efforts. Sixty per cent of the 8,000 remaining refugees have registered for emigration, chiefly to Palestine and the United States, with prospects of securing immigration visas for these countries.

The American consulate in Lithuania has requested from the former Warsaw consulate the transfer to Kaunas of all files concerning applications for American visas made through 1937 by former residents of Poland who are now refugees in Lithuania. The files of 600 such cases have already reached the consulate in Kaunas and visas were granted to 120 of the persons concerned immediately.

The number of Palestine certificates issued up to April 1 to Jewish refugees in Lithuania was reported by the HIAS-ICA as more than 400.

The report praised the American consul in Kaunas for his interest in aiding applicants for American visas. It was pointed out, however, that difficulties had arisen regarding emigration to the United States of rabbis who had contracts with religious groups in America. Rabbis who cannot submit proof that they have held the office of rabbi for at least two years must wait while the consulate inquires of the religious organizations in America which are seeking their emigration. Since most of the rabbis left Poland under bombardment, they were not able to collect their documents, and thus the issuance of visas to them has been complicated.

Meanwhile, the 8,000 refugees are being provided with food and shelter by J.D.C. funds administered by the local relief committee. During the past three month more than 400 refugees have succeeded in emigrating from Lithuania to Palestine. One hundred of them were permitted transit through Russia. The Soviet Government issued transit visas only to those holding Palestine and Lithuanian passports, not recognizing Polish passports.

There are about 80 engineers among the refugees in Lithuania, and the HIAS-ICA office there is taking measures to arrange their emigration into overseas countries having a shortage of engineers, according to the report.