The use of “armed Nazis” to guard Jewish DP camps in the American zone in Germany was assailed here last night by UNRRA director Fiorello LaGuardia, addressing the Council of the organization.
LaGuardia, who toured the camps last week, cited the incident at Wolfrathausen, where a German policeman shot and killed a displaced Jew, and said that he did not believe that any Germans should be armed for a generation. He disclosed that he had protested to U.S. commander Lieut. Gen. Joseph T. McNarney.
The UNRRA director appealed to the nations represented at the Council not to abandon the 830,000 displaced persons in Europe in the period between the ending of UNRRA operations, slated for Dec. 31, and the beginning of operations by the new International Refugee Organizations, which may not be prepared to assume the DP burden for several months after UNRRA is liquidated. He asked that UNRRA be authorized to continue its DP operations for 60 days after Dec. 31, until the IRO can take over.
LaGuardia appealed to the U.S. government to take the “residue of DP’s” and again urged adoption by America of his plan to pool all immigration quotas, irrespective of countries.
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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.