The Jewish Trail of Tears The Evian Conference of ... - Haruth.com

function and scope lest the Eastern European countries would “make the refugee problem
even worse than it is at present.” 133
The British Government did adopt a policy of forced repatriation of refugees from
East and Central Europe (other than Germany and Austria) arguing that such peoples
were not subject to the same degree of persecution of Jews and non-Aryans within the
Reich. 134 Makins asserted that the Americans had not made adequate preparations for the
conference and warned that the meeting could generate “wild and impracticable”
proposals. Consequently, the British needed to carefully construct the position they
would adopt. In addition, he called for the Americans to allocate three quarters of the
combined German and Austrian quotas for refugees. 135
Treasury officials were quick to
comment that the use of governmental funding “was almost out of the question” while the
Colonial Office noted that the Colonies “were not in a position to make a serious
contribution” to the re-settlement issue. 136
Walter Adams, the General Secretary of the Academic Assistance Council
(Society for the Protection of Science and Learning) and Secretary of the Survey of
Refugee Problems, also feared the ramifications of “ominous statements” issued by other
Central and Eastern European countries vis-à-vis their own Jewish Problem. A Jewish
133 Memorandum March 25, 1938, Roger Makins, PRO, FP 371/2231 cited in Dwork and Jan Pelt, Flight
from the Reich, 99.
134 Louise London, “Jewish Refugees, Anglo-Jewry and British Government Policy, 1930-1940,” cited in
Cesarani, The Making of Modern Anglo-Jewry, 171.
135 Memorandum, May 23, 1938, R. M. Makins “International Assistance to Refugees,” PRO FO
371/21749 C5319/2289/18 cited in Sherman, Island Refuge, 100. In addition to Lord Winterton and Roger
Makins the British delegation included Under-Secretary of State Sir John Shuckburgh, Director at the
Colonial Office J.G. Hibbert and Director at the Home Office E.N. Cooper.
136 Ibid., 103.
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