Evening star., 1938-03-28
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Not for the first time President Roose-
Velt has taken the State Department by
surprise and thrown into confusion and
dlsmay his Co-WOrkers in the delicate
and difficult domain of foreign affairs.
The present exhibition of the White
House and the Hull bailiWick working
at cross purposes concerns the plan to
make the United States haven for the
oppressed and prosecuted of all lands.
AS first and officially promulgated by the
Secretary OF State in identical notes to
" countries last Thursday, the proposal
comprehended only refugees from Aus
tria and Germany. Next day, at Warm
Springs. in an outdoor press conference
with the washington correspondents
who went South with him, F.. D. R., in
the casual informal manner to which
he is addicted. tossed off the announce
ment that the refugee plan is not con-
hned, as the State Department sup
posed. to victims of Nazi barbariSm but
includes political refugees from Spain.
Italy and Soviet Russia, as well. In
other words. Americas humanitarian
plan was suddenly expanded to embrace
anti-Fascists fleeing from Mussolinis S
wrath. Trotzkyites threatened by Sta
linS firing squads, and Spanish Insurg-
ents or Loyalists seeking asylum, re-
spectively, from Barcelona or Franco
and Italy was among those asked to
support it. The monkey wrench thus
thrown into the international machin-
cry is obvious. Diplomatic observers now
wonder whether the Warm Springs in
discretion hasn't wrecked the whole
emergency immigration" scheme
X X
In this observers pre-war newspaper
days at Berlin. during the chancellorship
of Prince Won Buelow, that suave but
lll-fated statesman used to say he put
in most of his time repairing the WIN
doWs Emperor William II broke. The
Kaiser had an ungovernable penchant
for playing diplomacy off his own bat.
without the knowledge or approval of
the German foreign office. Mr.. Roose-
Velts other one-man ventures onto the
thin ice OF international politics were in
1888 when he dispatched Prof. Moley
to the London Economic Conference
while Secretary Hull was on the Job
there, and later torpedoed the confer
ence with a message from U. s. S. In
dianapolis in the North Atlantic; and
the Chicago quarantine speech of Oc-
tober B, 1887, which is said not to have
been brought to the State Department S
attention practically until the President
was ready to spring it.
x x
Conspicuous omission of the Soviet
Union from the countries invited to
Join us in welcoming the immigration of
oppressed Europeans calls attention to
the fact that Red Russia as long ago
as 1928 set aside as Jewish Auton-
omous Area the region known as Bro
blJan. in Eastern Siberia. The territory
is adjacent to Khabarovsk province, not
Tar from the Amur River and in the
heart OF the new industrial and agri-
cultural district which the U. S. S. r.
has been developing with view to
future emergencies with Japan. The
population Of Birobijan is now in the
neighborhood of $4,000, consisting al
mos> exclusively of Jewish settlers who
enjoy complete local political sovereignty.
Out OF the former lonely station of
Ilkhonkaya. the thriving city of Birobi-
Jan has grown up, with varied indus
trial enterprises. schools, a state Jewish
theater, hospitals, ETC. Systematic ef-
1orts are being made in various coun-
tries, including South American re-
puollcs, to induce Jewish colonists, espe-
cially agriculturists, to emigrate to
Birobijan. Each new arrival receives a
cash grant for purchase of household
equipment and live stock renewable in