Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, General, Volume I

840.48 Refugees/6339: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State

London, June 20, 1944—11 a.m.
[Received June 20—10:52 a.m.]

4889. A letter has now been received from the Refugee Department of the Foreign Office answering the inquiries of the War Refugee Board regarding the eligibility for exchange of Jews now in Germancontrolled territory who hold Palestine certificates, as forwarded in Department’s 4411, June 3, 10 p.m.⁹³

Foreign Office states that the Palestine Government in collaboration with the Jewish Agency for Palestine nominates persons whom it would be willing to exchange for German citizens held in Palestine and the names of such persons are then communicated through the protecting power (Switzerland) to the German Government. In practice, however, the German Government often declares itself unable to trace the persons named and has substituted other members of the Jewish race. Up to the present two exchanges have taken place, one in December 1941 and another in November 1942 involving about 350 German citizens and 180 holders of Palestine certificates and their next of kin. The balance is thus to the advantage of the Germans and to redress it a third exchange is now being negotiated on a basis of 110 Germans and 280 certificate holders.

With regard to the procedure to be followed in placing persons on exchange lists the Foreign Office suggests that the WRB might be told that Jewish organizations or individual inquirers should be told to communicate names of persons in whom they are interested to the Colonial Office in London,⁹⁴ which would then forward them to the High Commissioner at Jerusalem and the Jewish Agency for decision as to the suitability of their being placed upon the list for exchange in the manner outlined above.

Winant

93. Not printed.
94. In telegram 5396, July 8, 5 p.m., the Ambassador in the United Kingdom indicated that the British Foreign Office stated that Jews holding Palestine certificates should not apply through the Colonial Office but that all applications from the general public for inclusion of people in the Palestine-German exchange should be addressed direct to the Commissioner of Migration and Statistics, Jerusalem (840.48 Refugees/7–844).