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Mrs. Roosevelt Describes Misery of Displaced Jews at Press Conference in Berlin

February 17, 1946
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Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt arriving here today after a three-day tour of displaced persons camps in the U.S. zone told a press conference that her visits to the camps had distressed her very much, particularly her experiences at the Zeilsheim camp for displaced Jews.

“The misery in all the camps is terrible, but the misery of the Jews is something I’ll never, never forget,” Mrs. Roosevelt declared. She added that the best that was possible was being done in the midst of a “very bad situation.”

Referring to the conditions in the camps, she said: “It is a horrible way to live. The whole situation is horrible, and even if physical conditions were improved, it would still be horrible. That kind of living gives people a feeling of futility, especially regarding the future. They must be made to understand that the future is theirs–there must be an incentive and a purpose in their life,” she concluded.

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