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U.S. Director of Intergovernmental Committee Goes to Turkey on Refugee Rescue Mission

March 15, 1944
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Patrick Malin, American vice-director of the Intergovernmental Committee for Refugees, arrived here today en route to Turkey to study possibilities of rescuing Jews from the Balkan countries. During his stay here, Mr. Malin will confer with officials of the Palestine Government and with members of the Jewish Agency on various aspects of the refugee problem.

It was learned today that the War Refugee Board in Washington has, in addition to appointing Ira Hirschmann as its representative in Turkey, appointed Hooker Doolittle as its representative in Egypt. Mr. Doolittle is attached to the American Legation in Cairo.

Well-informed circles here warned against the belief that any considerable number of Jews will be enabled to escape from Nazi-held territories. Agencies dealing with rescue activities are inclined to believe that Rumania, Hungary and Bulgaria are prepared to permit the emigration of Jews from their countries. The German authorities, however, have succeeded in wrecking virtually every agreement reached so far with these countries on the emigration of Jews.

The rapidly altering military situation, especially the fact that the Russian Army is approaching the borders of Rumania and Hungary, will no doubt weaken Germany’s ability to block the departure of Jews from the satellite countries, it was predicted. Moreover, there is ground to believe that the satellite governments are more and more inclined to disregard German desires.

The question of providing temporary refuge for the rescued Jews is the subject on which the Jewish Agency has concentrated its attention. All the Jewish refugees could be accommodated in Palestine. The Palestine Government, however, is opposed to the admission of Jewish refugees, except for the 30,000 who can still enter the country under the terms of the White Paper, despite the fact that in the course of the war some 100,000 Polish refugees and a number of Greek refugees have been admitted to Palestine for temporary residence.

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