840.48 Refugees/1587: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 28—2:15 p.m.]
573. From Pell.
1. I returned to London this morning after conferring in Berlin with Wohlthat, who wished to canvass the situation thoroughly because he has been invited to dine with Chancellor Hitler on [Page 103] Saturday and report on his conversations with the Intergovernmental Committee.
2. On that occasion he will submit to the Chancellor the draft decrees setting up the central Jewish organization envisaged in point 7 of the “confidential memorandum” agreed upon with Mr. Rublee, and the draft decrees establishing the international trust. These decrees have been approved by all the Ministries and it is understood that if the Chancellor gives his approval, those setting up the central organization will be put into effect next week, while those setting up the trust will be held temporarily in abeyance until some definite action has been taken with regard to the outside private corporation.
3. Wohlthat allowed me to read in strict confidence the decrees setting up the central organization. They are very complete. They give the Jews, as defined in point 1 of the “confidential memorandum” a definite legal status in Germany. They provide for the education of Jewish children and the practice of the Mosaic faith under the protection of the law. They provide machinery moreover for the re-training for purposes of emigration of 1000 young men and women at a time, with state aid. In short when the decrees are put into effect and if they are lived up to, the Jews will be given a wholly new standing in the Reich and Wohlthat gave me the most solemn assurances that Goering intends to see that the decrees are strictly enforced.
4. Wohlthat was bitterly disappointed that I did not have something concrete to report with regard to the private corporation. I told him of the generally believed assurances of progress which I had received from Mr. Taylor, but he said that general assurances were of little value to him. He and Goering were placed in a most awkward position vis-à-vis the Chancellor. They had been saying since February that something was about to happen, and nothing concrete had happened, meanwhile those whose desire it was to destroy Jewish property in Germany had had their way. The total value of the property was decreasing daily, and those who scoffed at Goering’s plans for solving the Jewish problems were beginning to say “I told you so”. He hated to go to the Chancellor on Saturday with nothing concrete to report. I said that a very strenuous effort was being made to organize the corporation. Of that he could be absolutely assured. Frankly, a great deal of resistance had had to be overcome in the beginning. The point had now been reached however, I was convinced, where the necessary action would be taken without much further delay. Wohlthat said that in that event he would report that I had given definite assurances that positive action was being taken by private persons with regard to the corporation and that I would have something concrete to report shortly.
[Page 104]5. It had been arranged that I should hand Wohlthat a letter, the text of which had been approved by Rothschild and Bearstead as well as by Winterton and Emerson, formally proposing Bruins as the third or foreign trustee and putting various questions with regard to his status and remuneration. I handed this letter to Wohlthat and suggested that it might be helpful to him in his conversation with the Chancellor as an indication that serious action was contemplated with regard to financing on the outside. Wohlthat agreed that the letter would be helpful and said that a reply would be made as soon as possible.
6. Wohlthat then touched on various questions which had arisen in our recent conversations. With regard to the departure of ships from German ports carrying emigrants without visas for receiving countries, he said that the Ministry of Communications had issued the most formal instructions opposing this practice and providing serious penalties for any one, shipowner or master or travel agent, who should be found guilty of aiding and abetting irregular departure. With regard to the position of Jews in the protectorates he said that the policy of the German Government, with which Von Neurath46 was in accord, was to discourage measures which would induce a competitive emigration of Jews. It was the intention of the German Government to give precedence to the Rublee plan. Regarding those persons who had permission to enter certain countries, notably the United Kingdom, but who had not been allowed to leave Germany, he said that if I would send him a list he would personally see to it that these cases were acted upon without further delay.
With regard to the point which I raised that German propaganda of an anti-Semitic character was hampering our efforts to place settlers in some countries, he said that he had obtained the most positive assurances from the Minister of Propaganda that if it were indicated by the Intergovernmental Committee that a country was disposed to receive Jewish settlers in substantial numbers stringent orders would be given to the effect that propaganda, if any existed, should cease.
7. In conclusion I extended in behalf of Winterton the invitation, which was approved by the British Foreign Office, to Wohlthat to come to London. We discussed the manner of his coming, and he suggested that he might make use of the Whaling Conference47 which would hold a meeting during the first week in June. He would attend as the German delegate and I might arrange a dinner where I could present him to Winterton, Emerson and others connected with [Page 105] the work of the Intergovernmental Committee. In any event the invitation would be of great value in his report to the Chancellor and he was exceedingly grateful for it. [Pell.]