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

migration from Eastern Europe was already underway and if left unchecked it would
devolve into a “refugee catastrophe” that was without parallel in contemporary history.
Such a threat reflected the conundrum of the “German refugee problem; in itself a minor
disaster, but in its implications it is terrifying.” 137 Sir John Simpson similarly argued that
the “success” of German anti-Semitism and its policies of forced emigration and
economic disenfranchisement coupled with a sense of “impunity” had emboldened other
nations to adopt similar strategies as a means of ridding themselves of “a population
labeled as ‘undesirable.’” 138
Myron C. Taylor held preliminary discussions in Europe with other diplomats,
which established further ground rules for the discussion. The Evian Conference would
be a “confidential meeting” of official representatives and not a public forum for the
airing of “all sorts of ideas.” Thus, only one public session would be held at the
commencement of the summit in which “general statements may be made.” Further
deliberations would be conducted privately and at the conclusion of the conference a
“formal declaration” would be released. It was necessary to terminate the meeting by
July 17 in order to accommodate the state visit of the King of England to Paris on July 19
which required the presence of many of the delegations. However, there was an
“understanding” that the Committee could reconvene in Paris “if necessary.” 139
The original invitation to the Evian Conference was to have been limited to
European nations (with Germany excluded) but the United Kingdom, fearing that too
137 Walter Adams. “Extent and Nature of the World Refugee Problem,” The Annals of the American
Academy of Political and Social Science 203 (May 1939): 35.
138 Simpson, The Refugee Problem, 520.
139 FRUS, 1938, I, 750-751.
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