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

Consequently, the United States was expected to absorb the majority of the refugees
although Congressional opposition was expected. 13
Various observers noted that “even when the Government representatives had
already gathered at Evian there was very little information forthcoming” regarding the
planned agenda, its scope and its specific goals. 14
The Times correspondents reported
none of the delegations had brought to the table any “tangible contribution” to the
problem of mass resettlement but would only deal with individual cases within the
context of their national immigration laws and policies. 15
However, at the conclusion of
the meeting the paper’s opinion had changed. The assembly had performed its tasks
“admirably” and the creation of the Intergovernmental Committee for Political Refugees
would convert a “haphazard flight” of impoverished Jews (assuming German
cooperation) into an “orderly exodus.” Each delegation offered the “prospect” that a
greater degree of flexibility would be applied towards immigration and, as a
consequence, it was anticipated that “200,000” refugees could be resettled. 16
Although Roosevelt had ordered, following the Anschluss, the consolidation of
the annual German and Austrian immigration quotas the “excessive formalism” of the
State Department and strict consular interpretations of the Likely to become a Public
Charge clause (LPC) significantly restricted the admission of refugees from the Reich.
As a result, during 1933-1938 no more than 27,000 German refugees or 20% of the
13 The Evening Independent (Alan Barth) July 12, 1938, 4, 5.
14 Board of Deputies of British Jews Archives, file E3/282/1, “Inter-Governmental Conference on
Refugees Held at Evian, 6 July, 1938,” unsigned report cited in Bartrop “Drawing the Line,” 5.
15 “The Refugee Problem: Discussions at Evian,” The Times, July 8, 1938, 15.
16 “Results at Evian,” The Times, July 16, 1938, 13.
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