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

British Ambassador to Berlin Neville Henderson believed that Jewish emigration from
the Reich must necessarily be contingent upon the amount of capital and property the
Jews could retain to aid their establishment of a new life abroad. He believed that such a
connection would pressure the Germans into liberalizing their financial policies if they
truly wanted to rid themselves of the Jews. Henderson, however, did ask Foreign
Minister Ribbentrop if Germany would cooperate in an orderly resettlement of German
and Austrian Jews by allowing retention of adequate funds but was given a negative
response. 6
Similarly, the American Ambassador, Hugh Wilson, queried State Secretary
of the German Foreign Ministry Weizsäcker and was informed that “he should not
entertain any hopes in that direction.” 7
The Earl of Plymouth, Parliamentary
Undersecretary to the Foreign Office, and Lord Halifax had called upon Germany to
allow refugees to retain enough assets to allow resettlement. Otherwise, the entire
German and Austrian refugee problem would become inordinately complicated and
potentially “insoluble.” 8 Lord Winterton opposed such a plan out of fear of antagonizing
the Germans and jeopardizing any potential for Nazi cooperation as the Conference was
dealing with “questions of world-wide importance.” 9
FDR requested that the British
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain personally approach Hitler for greater “flexibility”
6 DGFP, D, v. July 8, 1938, no. 640, 894-95 and no. 641, 895 July 27, 1938 cited in Vital, A People
Apart, 884; Henderson to Halifax, July 4, 1938, FO 371/22529, W 8887/104/98 cited in Sherman, Island
Refuge, 113.
7 DGFP, D. v. July 8, 1938, no. 640, 894-895 cited in Vital, A People Apart, 884.
8 Ferdinand Kuhn, “New Reich Talks in London Likely,” New York Times, July 28, 1938, 8.
9 Winterton to Halifax, July 8, 1938, FO 371/22530, W 9531/104/98 cited in Sherman, Island
Refuge, 113.
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