61340 Vorabseiten_e - Unabhängige Expertenkommission Schweiz

3 Refugees and Swiss Policy on Refugees
During the twelve years of the National Socialist government in Germany tens
of thousands of people sought refuge in Switzerland. Among them were people
that the regime persecuted for political, religious and racist reasons, as well as
soldiers from countries involved in the war, plus civilians from the areas along
Switzerland’s borders who fled from the war, and loyal Nazi followers who came
to Switzerland shortly before the war ended. All these people were «refugees»
in the broadest sense. Swiss policy on refugees focused, however, on those that
had been persecuted by the Nazi regime. It was thus a reaction to the challenges
that the persecution of the political opposition, Jews and other population
groups by neighbouring Germany, presented for all democratic countries. On
the basis of the ICE’s report on Switzerland and refugees during Nazi rule, 1
which was first published in December 1999 and reprinted in a revised version
at the end of 2001, and taking into account the information gained from the
latest research into the issue, this chapter endeavours to answer the following
questions: What type of unprotected people sought refuge in Switzerland
between 1933 and 1945? when and for what reasons? How many civilian
refugees did Switzerland accept or reject during the Second World War (3.1)?
What did the Swiss authorities know about the persecution and extermination
of Jews and what were the motives behind their actions (3.2)? Who were the
principal players, who decided on the policy adopted with regard to refugees
and who was responsible (3.3)? Who bore the cost of accommodating and
feeding the refugees (3.4)? How did the refugees get to Switzerland and how
were they treated when they arrived (3.5)? What role did Switzerland play with
regard to ransom demands and attempted blackmail (3.6)? And finally, how
does Swiss policy concerning refugees at that time compare with the policy
adopted by other counties (3.7)?
3.1 Chronology
On 22 September 1942, two men and a woman from Savoy managed to cross
the border into Switzerland illegally. They were picked up by a border guard
after nightfall. The following day, the two men, who did not have valid entry
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