Details of assurances on the future of the Jews given by the Czecho-Slovakian Government to Joseph S. Rosenberg, who recently visited Praha as representative of 57 American importing concerns to warn that anti-Jewish discrimination would lead to a boycott of Czech goods, were made public today by Mr. Rosenberg.
A six-point memorandum was given to Mr. Rosenberg by Dr. Jiri Havelka, Chancellor to the President of Czechoslovakia, which said that regulations against emigres would be promulgated, but promised that there would be no change in the status of the Jewish minority and denied that there was any “direct pressure on Czechoslovakia by neighboring states” to issue anti-Semitic legislation.
A summary of the points contained in the memorandum follows:
(1) There is no “social anti-Semitic boycott” in public life.
(2) The authorities are acting to eliminate anti-Semitic articles from the press.
(3) The Government is preparing regulations against emigrants, “regardless of nationality,” which “have nothing in common with the racial policy.” Revision of citizenships granted in recent years will be treated “from the same point of view.” The Government “has no intention to consider as Jews those citizens of Jewish origin who…are proving that they are in effect citizens of Czech, Slovak or Carpatho-Russian nationality.”
(4)….”if the indirect cause for these measures originated in the neighborhood, let it be on the other hand emphasized that in official circles there is nothing known of a direct pressure on Czechoslovakia by neighboring states to create such measures. As in other matters also in this policy Czechoslovakia acts independently.”
(5) The measures “do not originate in any racial or otherwise anti-Semitic tendencies” but result from the population’s lower earning power owing to territorial changes and economic losses and the “fact that a considerable of the Jewish race in the territory of the Czechoslovak State….sided with its national adversaries….”
(6)….”the above measures are the only ones the Czechoslovak Government intends to establish towards the solution of this question. Other measures are not intended.”
As a result of this memorandum, a meeting of more than 60 importers on Feb. 14 unanimously adopted a resolution “to pledge the cooperation of the American importers to encourage trade relations with Czechoslovakia to the fullest extent.” This resolution was cabled to Dr. Havelka.
In his report to the meeting, Mr. Rosenberg declared: Two days after I had received the memorandum, I was both surprised and happy to see that all the newspapers had stopped printing anti-Jewish propaganda, as was promised. Licenses were given to hundreds of people who could not obtain them previously….Posters began to disappear from public buildings and stations, and people who were previously very oppressed and dissatisfied now began their business activities wholeheartedly…Whoever applied to me for help received it for I knew many Government officials. All I had to do was to give those people letters of recommendation and they received their permits at once.”
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.
