The United States Government is going to do all in its power, within the limit of the law, to give haven to political and intellectual refugees now hiding from the Nazis in a number of European countries, Acting Secretary of State Sumner Welles said today.
President Roosevelt announced, meanwhile, that a request of guarantees for protection of American ships carrying children from England might be made shortly to Italy and Germany. House Foreign Affairs Committee approved a bill to use U.S. ships.
Welles’ statement was made after he had conferred this morning with James G. Mc-Donald, president, and George L. Warren, secretary of the President’s Advisory Committee on Political Refugees. He said the committee was particularly anxious to see what could be done to relieve the situation of intellectual and political refugees.
It was suggested, Welles said, and very heartily approved by the State Department that henceforth the advisory committee act as a channel or conduit to the Department for the relief of all cases that warrant favorable consideration. A difficulty encountered in saving these refugees, Welles said, was that a great many individuals and groups approached the Department on behalf of individual refugees. From now on the committee will handle these cases and make recommendations to the Department.
The Acting Secretary said it was the desire of the Department to do all in its power to relieve the situation of these people. A great number of refugees coming within the categories named by Welles are now in unoccupied France.
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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.
