840.48 Refugees/8–544: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Harrison)
2900. The following for McClelland is WRB 129 and refers to your 4604 of July 19 and 5040 of August 5.
1. Please express to the Foreign Office the appreciation of this Government for the information contained in your 4604 and 5040, in addition to taking action requested in Department’s 2715 of August 7.67 You may make available to appropriate officials of the Foreign Office the text of the reply given on August 11 by this Government to Intercross in accordance with Department’s 2657 of August 2 and 2715 of August 7, in order that the Swiss Government may be fully informed of the attitude of this Government.
Although this Government has noted the communication reported in your 5040, it does not accept the reasoning contained therein and reserves the right to return at a later date to the purported facts [Page 1134] related therein. Please request the Swiss Foreign Office so to inform the Hungarian authorities. They should be informed further that the Hungarian Government’s assurances are too limited in character to be satisfactory. The United States Government therefore reiterates its public warning that there will be brought to justice all those who share the responsibility for the persecution of Jews and other minorities. They should also be informed that the deportation of any category of Jews is included in the foregoing and that there must be extended to all categories of Jews as a minimum permission freely to emigrate and Red Cross supervision of treatment and living conditions.
2. Communications and reports regarding Hungarian Government’s offer relating to treatment of Jews show wide discrepancies. Position this Government based for obvious reasons on version sent through Swiss Foreign Office and contained in your 4604. It proposes to maintain this position, but nevertheless is anxious to ascertain precise nature of offer and attitude of Hungarians. It is requested, therefore, that without departing from above stated position of this Government, you make discreet and informal inquiries concerning following principal uncertainties from such sources as are available to you.
Is there definite stoppage deportations of all categories? If suspended only, for what categories and for how long?
Is it possible to expect continuance of stoppage of deportations and other forms of actual danger to life even in the absence of actual sizeable emigration of Jews from Hungary during hostilities? If so, to what extent?
To what extent are Jews over ten years of age permitted to emigrate to countries other than Palestine?
Might emigration be conducted so as to prevent breakup of families? (Related to question of separation from parents of children under ten.)
Will Jews in Hungary be permitted and, in fact and aside from Intercross action, enabled to obtain food and other necessities through ordinary commercial channels? If so, to what exent?
In view of Hungarian internal situation to what extent can Hungarian promises be counted on as being made effective and continuing for the duration?
Answers to any of the above questions should be submitted as soon as possible.
It appears here, in light of current political and military situation, that main emphasis should now be placed on inducing appropriate Hungarian circles to maintain and strengthen the recently reported [Page 1135] relaxation of Jewish regime in Hungary and to apply such relaxations to all categories of Jews therein. Assistance in clandestine escapes of groups and individuals seems less important now than prevention of deportations and assurance of tolerable living conditions for all Jews in Hungary. Kindly report any information and developments thereon.
The broad program envisaged above and in Department’s 2657 might be jeopardized by narrow scope of approach suggested by 23068 from London Embassy. It is not thought advisable therefore that you limit your démarches to items covered in London’s 230, namely children under ten and the supply problem. Naturally however you are authorized to give the assurance, in line with 230 from London, concerning availability of supplies for Hungarian refugees through blockade.
Repeated to London.