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

hatred” comparable to German “propaganda itself” and Franceschi made no distinctions
between the actions and reactions of the Nazis and Jews. Both groups, in his eyes, stood
outside the blessings and protections of the Catholic Church. 101
The Foreign Minister, José María Cantilo, issued Directive 11 on July 12, 1938; a
decree publicly taking effect on October 1 (but secretly invoked immediately), which
specified that all immigration applications were to be examined by an advisory
committee composed of officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior and
Agriculture. “Priority” was to be given to refugees "with the greatest capacity for
assimilation in order to meet our social, cultural and economic needs." Consuls would
furnish the committee with detailed personal information, such as the reason for seeking
entrance into Argentina. The board, upon approval of an application, would send the
consul a landing permit. Persons submitting requests for relatives were required to
provide proof of Argentine residency for two years and bear the cost of all processing
fees. Tourists entering the country would be obliged to turn over their passports to
immigration authorities and would be granted temporary tourist certificates of three
months duration. 102 An addendum to the new immigration policy, Directive 8972, ended
the landing exemptions previously granted first-class passengers arriving via steamship.
Previously it had been assumed that immigrants traveled only in second and third class.
These additional requirements would have the net effect of further decreasing the number
101 Graciela Ben-Dror, The Catholic Church and the Jews: Argentina, 1933-1945 (Jerusalem, Israel:
Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Anti-Semitism, 2008), 138-139.
102 Avni, Argentina and the Jews, 143, 144.
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