Evening star., 1938-05-13
The Nansen Committee
League of Nations Body Can Protect Refugees From
Police Tyrannies by Issuing Passports.

and is headed by Myron G. Taylor, un-
til recently president Of the United
States Steel Corp.
There Is a tremendous task for this
organization to do. and it Is enor-
mously worth doing, not only because
the humane conscience of the world
demands that something be done, but
because 1t is greatly in the interests of
political and economic stability that it
should be done.
So far there has been no suggestion
that this country increase the quota of
its immigrants, and considering our
present economic conditions, it would
be unwise to do so.
But the conditions for entry under
the quota can be simplified. This can
be achieved If in lieu of affidavits of
support from relatives-affidavits of
friends willing to assume the financial
ing to take the same risk, are accept
ed. Or aff1davits which will permit
the refugees to bond themselves.
AS far as this country is concerned
there will be no mass immigration of
refugees. Those who enter come as
individuals and are usually intellec-
tuals with special professional equip
ment. Their problem Is to find work
that will not dislodge native intellec-
tual workers.
Possess Special knowledge.
But it is mistake to believe that
every new brain worker dislodges
some one else. Many of the refugees
from Vienna are unique, possessed OF
skills or special knowledge which
this country needs and can use.
There are, for instance, branches
OF medical research that have been
better explored in Vienna than any,
where else in the world; their ex-
plorers are now exiles and will be an
asset to any country that receives
them
But 1t would seem that one task
as far as our own very limited i'm
migration is concerned would be to
distribute these individuals as widely
as possible throughout the country
And that is an organiza tional task.
In fact. the whole promlem presents
demand for efficient and expert Or
ganization. This is particularly true
Of the second category of refugees
the mass emigrants-who being with
out special qualifications and abilities
cannot choose where they wish to go
but must have places provided for
them in the underpopulated countries.
Financial Responsibility.
1t ought to be made clear to these
governments that it is inconceivable
that the world should give hospital
ity to people who were not only per-
fectly able to take care of them
selves in their native lands, but
would have money sufficient to estab-
lish themselves in other countries,
if their native lands had not seques-
trated their savings and thrown them
out penniless
Since the governments now throw
ing them out stand, theoretically at
least, for the protection and recogni-
ton Of private property. some means
must be found by which the money
of refugees and of citizens of states
hospitable to them, now blocked in
their native lands, can be used to
finance their settlement in new lands.
There are financial inventions un-
der which this can be done, and
which would circumvent the objec-
tions which the native governments
have to allowing actual money to leave
the country.
If such arrangements are proposed
to the anti-Semitic governments and
refused by them one can only con-
clude that these governments are
deliberately setting out to make the
whole world as miserable and un-
stable as possible, without any eco
nomic gain to themselves.
There Is no room in a column such
as this to elaborate on the arrange
ments that might be invented, but
they are so urgently necessary that
We intend to take some time off and
do small book about them.
tCopyrieht. 1888. New York Tribune. Inc.)