The hope that the intergovernmental committee on refugee aid which is to be established at the Evian, France, conference next month will prove an effective supplement to the League of Nations organ was expressed today by the Joint foreign committee in its report to the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
Outlining what it believed would be the respective tasks of both bodies, the report said the league organ would in the future see that the refugees are given proper legal status in the countries of settlement, the intergovernmental body dealing with questions of emigration and settlement which now are outside the league’s functions.
The Goering property decree was assailed by Neville Laski, president, as “the most flagrant interference in the internal affairs of other countries.”
“The Government representatives at Evian,” he said at the Bord’s meeting today,” do not need a demonstration of Nazi ruthlessness and may justifiably take the view that their generosity shall not be exploited by the present German policy of stripping the Jews of their property before expelling them. This policy is the most flagrant interference in the internal affairs of other countries and an international protest action against it would not be inappropriate.”
Mr. Laski warned against the illusion of the alleged inexhaustible Jewish wealth that could be used to remove the so-called “Jewish surplus.” he said: “The vast majority of Jews in eastern Europe must work out their destiny together with their non-Jewish fellows in the land of their birth and sojourn. We are ready to help to this end, but do not intend to make useless sacrifice in order to assist grotesque emigration proposals requiring more than the whole wealth of the richest countries.”
Mr. Laski called the Board’s attention to a recrudescence of provocative anti-Semitism in England. He denied the Fascist claim that they had made headway among trade unions.
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