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

the congress with little “enthusiasm,” “much reserve” and minimal willingness to make
national “sacrifices.” Messersmith expected the delegates to “render lip service” to the
assistance of refugees while avoiding any modification of their immigration policies.
Although the consolidation of the American quotas for Germans and Austrians offered
“little positive action” he hoped that the “liberal attitude” adopted by the United States
towards the involuntary émigrés would “serve as an example and incentive to other
countries” that would “go far towards relieving the situation.” 100
Messersmith’s sentiments proved to be quite accurate. The groundwork was laid
both privately and publically for the approach that would be adopted during the oration of
the conference. The importation of Jews created a potential risk to internal national
security and stability. Refugees posed a threat to the native work force and raised the
specter of dependency upon the public coffers. Palestine could have offered potential
rescue to some of the refugees but British foreign interests vis-à-vis the Muslim world
trumped humanitarian concerns. Perhaps more importantly, the failure of the Jewish
community to present a united front and to speak with one voice relegated the Central
European Jews, the principal figures of the conference to the inconsequentiality of the
sidelines; mere onlookers in the drama of life and death.
100 Minutes of the 1 st Meeting of the PACPR, May 16, 1938, YIVO, Joseph Chamberlain Papers, Box 3,
Folder 58 cited in David Large, And the World Closed Its Doors, 20-31.
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