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

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary the appointment of a non-diplomat
implied a lack of seriousness about the conference and its potential work. 34
Taylor and
his British counterparts agreed in advance that Palestine would be excluded from
consideration as a possible haven. 35
The issue of forced Jewish emigration from Poland,
Rumania and Hungary was avoided by limiting discussion to refugees from Germany and
Austria. Prospects for resettlement in British African holdings were also downplayed.
Lord Winterton, in his opening speech on July 6, 1938, noted that the tropical climate
with its adverse effects on whites, population densities and local political considerations
would limit immigration to a relative handful; mass re-settlement was a futile
undertaking. 36
The Roosevelt administration, despite its call for a refugee conference, did not
attempt to garner public or political support for opening the gates. He avoided open
discussion of the issue knowing that the Great Depression, unemployment, fear of aliens,
nativism, isolationism and anti-Semitism were significant factors that promoted antiimmigrant
attitudes. Roosevelt was not willing to expend political capital in promoting
this issue. 37
34 Welles had recommended to FDR and Hull that the U.S. delegation be led by Hull, accompanied by
Sec. of Labor Francis Perkins, George Messersmith, the head of the Foreign Service Personnel Board and
himself; FDR chose Myron C. Taylor, James G. McDonald, presidential advisor on refugee affairs, George
L. Warren, executive secretary of the Committee on Political Refugees, plus State Department technical
assistants Robert Pell (Divisional Assistant in the Department of State) and George Brandt (Foreign Service
Officer, Class III) who were familiar with immigration issues—however, none of these delegates were
particularly influential politically.
35 Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs (Murray) to Consul General Wadsworth in Jerusalem,
867N.01/1106, July 2, 1938, FRUS, vol. 1, 752.
36 “Problem of Refugees,” The Times, July 7, 1938, 15.
37 Laffer. “Evian Conference”, 57.
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