War Deportation of Russian Jews Was Prevented by Ludendorff

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency Mail Service)

Further exact data on the plan of the German war lords to deport a great number of Russian Jews to America while the submarine warfare raged on the high seas were given by Dr. Paul Nathan, late German Jewish leader, in a letter he addressed to the “Allgemeine Jucdische Familienblatt” of Leipzig, just prior to his death. In the letter Dr. Nathan stated:

“When food supplies in Germany began to become scarce, the question arose naturally whether it was not possible to reduce the number of consumers. In this connection a conference was held in Kovno on February 21, 1916, attended by high German military officials, representatives of the Foreign office in Berlin, the German shipping companies and myself, as representative of the Hilfsverein der deutschen Juden.

“There was a discussion as to whether it would not be possible to reduce the number of consumers who had to be provided with food, by sending the Jewish population of the occupied parts of Russia to America. I immediately opposed this idea. I pointed out that the enemy fleets which dominated the seas would not pass such transports whose purpose would be to ease Germany’s position in regard to foodstuffs and would thus be defeating the blockade. The ships would therefore either be compelled to turn back or would perhaps be torpedoed, and the result would be that there would be a fresh outcry all over the world against a new form of German barbarism. Feeling against Germany would grow throughout the civilized world and there would be no real corresponding benefit to Germany.

“It was General Ludendorff who saw the justice of my contention, and the plan was dropped. There is no need for me to say that I have not the slightest sympathy with Ludendorff as a politician, but justice demands that in this matter Ludendorff’s humane and correct attitude should be placed on record.”