Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1939, General, The British Commonwealth and Europe, Volume II

840.48 Refugees/1747

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Chief of the Division of European Affairs (Hikerson)

[Washington,] July 17, 1939.

Mr. Robert Pell called on the telephone from London at 2:15 this afternoon and referred to our telegram no. 540 of July 15, 1939, in regard to Winterton’s proposed statement respecting governmental participation in the financing of resettlement projects. He said that Mr. Taylor had conferred with Lord Winterton and had shown him the substance of our telegram under reference. Winterton had informed Mr. Taylor that under his instructions from the British Cabinet he was not to make his statement unless he could be assured in advance of “harmony of intention on the part of the British and the United States Governments” and unless Mr. Taylor was prepared to announce at the meeting that the American Government was prepared to accord sympathetic consideration to this proposal. Mr. Pell implied that if the British did not make this statement the British Government would feel obliged to review its whole attitude in regard to cooperation with respect to the refugee problem; this is set forth in some detail in telegram no. 985 of July 13th from London.

Mr. Pell then said that Mr. Taylor, with the assistance of Pell and Achilles, had drafted the attached statement, which Mr. Pell read to me over the telephone, as a possible statement to be made by Mr. Taylor. He went on to say that they did not know whether this statement would be considered as meeting the British position set forth by Lord Winterton, but that Mr. Taylor felt that the statement was certainly as far as we would be authorized in going, given the attitude expressed in our telegram no. 540.

Mr. Pell said that Lord Winterton had urged that Mr. Taylor communicate with us and give him a statement of our attitude as soon as possible, and in any event not later than 3:00 p.m. London time July 18th (9:00 a.m. Washington time). Lord Winterton, Mr. Pell said, was to take our reply before the British Cabinet tomorrow afternoon.

John Hickerson

[Annex]

Draft of Statement To Be Made by the Chairman of the American Delegation (Taylor)⁶⁷

I have heard with great interest Lord Winterton’s statement that his Government was examining the manner and extent to which private subscriptions to an international fund to assist in defraying the expenses of overseas emigration of refugees might be encouraged by government participation and that if other governments were prepared to agree to this change of principle and to cooperate in such participation the British Government would take the initiative in preparing a scheme for the purpose.

I shall be pleased to consult my Government as to its views with regard to this proposal, which represents a fundamental departure from the basis on which the Intergovernmental Committee was founded. I am obliged to make it clear, however, that under the American Constitution any contribution of funds by the American Government would necessarily be subject to the decision of Congress. Moreover, I am certain that if such a proposal were to be considered favorably by public opinion in the United States and by Congress it would have to apply to a project of such a nature and extent that it would assist in bringing about a basic solution of the problem and would not merely be a palliative.⁶⁸

My Government believes that in this undertaking the Committee should proceed step by step. In the present phase it is convinced that the most effective next step is the establishment of the coordinating Foundation and corollary settlement corporations which are envisaged.

The American Government is truly sensible, however, of the circumstances which have motivated the decision of the British Government and will, I am sure, give most serious consideration to Lord Winterton’s proposal.

67. The statement in condensed form but not deviating in substance was made by Mr. Taylor at the meeting, July 19, of the Intergovernmental Committee in London.
68. The Department approved the statement with the following change in the final sentence of the second paragraph: Substitute for the clause beginning “would assist” the clause “could be considered as initiating a basic solution of the problem and not merely as a palliative” (telegram No. 548, July 17, 7 p.m., to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom, not printed).