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

League High Commissioner Sir Neill Malcolm. The organizations offer four possible
approaches to solving the emigration impasse. Chapter 8 reports the activities of Day 6
in which Sweden, Ireland, Switzerland, Paraguay and Central American countries
continue the sympathetic but hollow rhetoric. Behind the scenes, however, the Swiss
diplomat is secretly negotiating with the German Government to block all Jewish
immigration into Switzerland. Chapters 9 and 10 analyze the reports of the Technical
Sub-Committees and include the closing statements of Taylor, Bérenger and Winterton.
The latter, for the first time, openly addresses the issue of Palestine as a site of
resettlement but discounts it as a site of relocation. The question of the retention of
Jewish capital to facilitate migration is raised and will become the major confounding
factor ensuring the failure of the Conference. Chapter 11 described the role of Palestine
and Jewish attitudes towards Zionism and its interaction with the meeting.
Part III, “Hopes Dashed,” includes chapters 11 and 12. Chapter 11 discusses the
initial assessments and criticisms of the Evian Conference. Italy now appears on the
scene as a possible additional source of forced Jewish emigration due to enactment of
Aryan racial policies. The role of Jewish disunity and the failure to provide a united front
at the Conference is analyzed as are differing opinions regarding the role of Palestine.
German Nazi reaction to and criticism of the lack of success of the meeting is described;
a disappointment that will affect subsequent dealings with the Reich authorities and result
in a profound change in the tenor of German policies towards its Jewish population.
Chapter 12 discusses the sole creation of the conference, the Intergovernmental
Committee for Political Refugees, based in London and its attempts to negotiate with the
Germans to facilitate orderly migration.
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