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

ut only gradually and without utilizing land that had been set aside for the native
population. 15
Winterton hoped that the Evian Conference and the creation of the IGCR would
alleviate the “sufferings” of the refugees and he complimented the “willingness” of the
delegations and their respective governments to “contribute, as far as their circumstances
permit, to this result.” 16 To some this tentative offer of East Africa as a place of refuge
had an “excellent effect” and provided a “bright afterglow” to a meeting that had not
been “notable for its optimism.” It represented the most “concrete” proposal to come out
of the meeting as most delegations were more concerned about reasons why assistance
could not be offered rather than the consideration of ways in which immigration could be
facilitated. 17 The British Colonial Office, however, informed the Foreign Office that
Kenya could only accommodate one hundred fifty refugees and the prospects for the
remainder of the Colonies were limited. Taylor tried to obtain a full accounting of the
Colonies’ potential for resettlement but to no avail. He received assurances that the
Colonial Secretary was devoting his “constant attention” to the issue and that “certain
projects” besides Kenya were under review. The Dominions were equally evasive. 18
A Jewish periodical skeptically viewed any plans for resettling Jews in distant
lands:
15 “Proceedings,” July 15, 1938, 42.
16 “Proceedings,” July 15, 1938, 43.
17 Sherman, Island Refuge, 120; “Home for Refugees,” The Glasgow Herald, July 15, 1938, 32.
18 Sherman, Island Refuge, 131-132. An appendix was attached to the official record detailing the
budget for and the relative national financial contributions to the support of the IGCR. As can be seen in
Appendix A the amounts offered were limited considering the scale of the work that was to be undertaken
by the permanent body.
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