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

all of us here have in mind.” 108
Taylor regarded Lobo as being “extraordinarily helpful”
in influencing other Latin American nations to adopt a “reasonable point of view.” 109
It was pointed out, however, that the majority of German and Austrian refugees
were urbanites and not farmers. During 1937 Brazil had admitted 2,003 stateless Jews
but only 530 in 1938. The Brazilian Government had agreed to the admission of nine
thousand refugees over a three year period but with strict entry requirements: in addition
to being true agriculturalists they had to possess $2,400 over and beyond the amount
covering travel and resettlement expenses. 110 Approximately twenty five thousand Jews
were granted legal admission into the country during1933-1942. 111
The July 7 session ended on a common theme. Citing economic, social, political,
religious, and ethnic concerns each delegate expressed sympathy but offered a host of
reasons why their respective nations could not provide refuge to stateless immigrants.
Oftentimes their home governments were secretly working behind the scenes to construct
obstacles that would limit or block entry altogether. The Europeans and Americans
expected the nations of Latin America to receive the bulk of the émigrés. Equally, these
nations were resistant to accepting the role of dumping ground for a people that was
considered less than desirable. Such rhetoric, gamesmanship and plotting would continue
throughout and color the course of the remainder of the Evian Conference. The inherent
108 “Proceeding,” July 7, 1938, 17-18.
109 Telegram from Taylor to Cordell Hull, July 14, 1938, 840.48 Refugees/513, FRUS 1938, vol. 1, 754.
110 Proceedings of the Evian Conference, July 7, 1938; “Political Refugee Problem Puzzles World
Diplomats,” Meridian Record, July 8, 1938, 3; New York Times, August 6, 1938; Perl, The Holocaust
Conspiracy, 44; Gurlock, America, American Jews, 236.
111 Benjamin Moser, Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2009), 86-87.
194