[Enclosure]
The Chief of Staff of Allied Force Headquarters
(Gammell)
to the French Chief of Staff of National
Defense (Bethouart)
[Algiers,] June 12, 1944.
My Dear General Bethouart: I wish to draw to
your attention a problem which, in the opinion of the Supreme Allied
Commander, Mediterranean Theater, is becoming one of great importance in
the Mediterranean Theater.
Consequent upon operations now in progress, particularly in the Balkans,
large numbers of innocent civilians are being rendered homeless by
German acts of terror and oppression. Also, due to the normal
dislocation of war, numbers of refugees, principally women and children,
are necessarily endeavoring to escape from the zones of operations.
Our forces in the Adriatic have for some time been assisting in the
evacuation of refugees from Yugoslavia. The Allied authorities in Italy
have made provision to receive and process these refugees and to
maintain a substantial number of them. A large number have been
evacuated to the middle East where Allied authorities are maintaining
camps to care for these unfortunates until they can be repatriated. The
facilities in both these localities are now or will shortly be extended
to their capacity.
The Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theater, is, therefore,
preparing to use certain of the installations and facilities which are
no longer required for military purposes in North Africa to house and
care for these refugees until repatriation. The immediate proposal is to
complete arrangements for the accommodation of approximately 10,000
Yugoslav refugees in a camp situated near Philippeville.
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The camp will be operated by the Allied
military authorities until United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation
Administration or other qualified agencies assume the responsibility.
The supply, maintenance and administration of the camp will, of course,
be the responsibility of those authorities or agencies and no
expenditure or other commitment in respect to the camp or its
administration will fall upon the French authorities, either now or at
any later period.
I am asked by the Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theater, to
inform you of these proposed arrangements and to express his confident
hope that, in view of the urgency and the humanitarian aspect of the
problem, they will meet with the approval of the French military
authorities.
Sincerely yours,
