A resolution was drafted today for adoption by the 32-nation refugee-aid conference at its closing session Friday establishing a permanent organization to aid emigres, setting in motion machinery to aid emigration and calling upon Germany to permit emigrants to withdraw capital.
The resolution, which was drafted by the representatives of the United States, Britain and France, was given by American Delegate Myron C. Taylor to the other delegations. Defining the terms of reference for the permanent intergovernmental committee, the resolution recommends:
1– Setting in motion machinery to give practical effect to President Roosevelt’s initiative in calling the conference to assist refugees; 2– Regulation of involuntary emigration due to political, racial and religious oppression; 3– Envisaging of a long-range program whereby potential as well as actual forced emigration should be coordinated within existing immigration laws of the various countries;
4– Countries from which refugees come should cooperate by permitting the taking out of possessions and capital; 5– People within the scope of the intergovernmental committee’s activities should be not only those who have left their country but those who desire to leave for reason of treatment to which they are subjected on account of race, religion or political views; 6– Recognition should be given to the fact that countries accepting refugees must take into account their economic and social adaptability;
7– Countries admitting refugees should not assume obligations for financing forced immigration; 8– The conference is to meet as a permanent body in London, where the governments meeting at Evian may be represented by representatives which they may wish to designate; 9– The London meeting “should continue and develop” the work started at Evian; 10– The conference as a permanent institution should have a chairman and four vice-chairmen, and also one director of authority appointed by the intergovernmental conference who will conduct the work.
The work will include negotiations for changing the chaotic exodus into an orderly emigration. The director should also approach governments with a view to developing opportunities for permanent settlement. He should also cooperate with the League of Nations High Commissioner for German Refugees as well as with the International Labor Office.
The forthcoming session in London on August 3 will settle the question of sharing proportionately the expenses involved by the director’s office. The director will be an American, whose name is now known to President Roosevelt alone and will be appointed at the London session.
It is learned that between Friday and August 3 the United States delegation will also take steps to clarify Germany’s position, thus enabling the appointed director to approach Germany immediately after the conference in London. It is noteworthy that the resolution does not limit the scope of the conference to refugees from Germany and Austria, but only speaks of a long-range program.
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.
