Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees and War Refugee Board Reach Accord

Sir Herbert Emerson of the Intergovernmental committee on Refugees and John Pehle of the War Refugee Board today issued a joint statement declaring that they have reached complete agreement on organizational relations and have “taken definite steps to increase the effectiveness of the efforts being made on behalf of the refugee group.”

The announcement was made at a press conference at which Sir Herbert indicated that the two groups have decided to keep each other informed and to give practical assistance to projects initiated by each other.”Furthermore,” Sir Herbert said, we have discussed very fully plans to help refugees at once.”

The major job of the Intergovernmental Committee for Refugees would be taking care of stateless persons, Sir Herbert disclosed. he implied that the job of helping refugees out of the Balkan countries can be better handled by the War Refugee Board, and that the Intergovernmental Committee would not participate in it. He estimated that 95 percent of the 25,000,000 displaced persons will be able to return to their homes after the war and paid tribute to the Joint Distribution Committee, the World Jewish Congress and the American Friends Service for their work for refugees in Europe.

Mr. Peble announced at the conference that the War Refugee Board has appointed a special representative in Switzerland. The appointee, Roswell McClelland, has been identified with the American Friends Service Committee’s refugee work in Europe since 1940. It was also announced at the conference that the Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees has appointed Sir Clifford Heathcote-Smith, for 18 years British Consul-General in Alexandria as its representative in Italy where there are about 5,000 Jewish refugees from Yugoslavia. Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia. The Intergovernmental Committee also plans to appoint representatives in North Africa and Cairo, it was disclosed.