Evening star., 1939-10-15
Refugee Conference,
Called by Roosevelt,
To Open tuesday
Question Of Aiding
Political ExiIes
On Aeendo
By the Associated Press.

b the Associated Press.
The European war will bring be.
fore President Roosevelt's Interna.
tional Conference on Refugees.
opening Tuesday, the question Of
expanding the work Of assisting
German political exiles so as to in
clude other peoples scattered by
the conflict.
This will be discussed BY the
meeting for which Lord Winterton,
chairman of the Inter Government
al Committee for Political Refugees;
Herbert Emerson. director of the
committee, and Paul van iceland,
former premier of Belgium, are
coming to Washington.
Mr.. Roosevelt, who convoked the
gathering, will preside over the first
meeting and read an address. SUBJ
sequent meetings will be held at
the State Department.
The White House meeting will
consider the changed conditions in
the refugee work created by the
war. The refugee movement from
Germany already has stopped.
Germany is still willing to permit
Jewish old women and children to
leave Germany, but not young
women or men, who are needed for
war work. Other countries are un-
willing to receive old people and
children.
Consequently the inter-govern-
mental refugee work which was
started by Mr.. Roosevelt and Sec
retary Of State Hull last year will
content itself with finding perma-
nent settlement for the thousands
Of German Jews who are located
temporarily in European countries.
1t is estimated there are 10000
such refugees in Great Britain,
$4,000 in France and $4,000 distribu-
ted among Belgium, Holland and
Switzerland. The first effort will
be to remove those from the three
neutral countries.
Are Kept in Camps.
Those In Great Britain and
France are kept in concentration
camps and have not been absorbed
in the general population But the
war already has alleviated their
condition in some measure because
many have been given employment
in war goods manufacturing.
In addition, there are $1,000 at
Shanghai. 1t is hoped to- settle
them in the Philippine Islands. The
report OF special committee which
investigated the possibilities of the
Philippine Island of Mindanao will
be discussed at Mr.. Roosevelt's
meeting. 1t Is thought the Jews
may be able to counterbalance the
influence Of the Japanese at Davao.
Mindanao, who form a compact
group Of many thousands.
The original mandate under
which the Inter- -GovernmentaI
Committee was set up in London
called for assistance to German po-
litical refugees. 1t was not speci-
fed that they were to be Jewish,
but at least they were to be Ger
man, and on this understanding
more than 80 nations agreed to con-
cert their efforts.
Spanish Refugees In France.
Now 1t is thought the war will
require assistance to other peoples
as well. There are still more than
1000 Spanish Loyalist refugees in
France unable to return to the Spain
of Gen. Franco. Large groups of
Poles fed into Rumania and the
Baltic countries. There also is the
case of the Polish Jews now under
German rule.
With Britain and France. which
had been among the most stalwart
aids in refugee assistance, concen-
trating all their efforts on war, it
is believed the burden of the refugee
work from now on must be carried
by the neutral nations, the princi-
pal one of which is the United
States. The United States quota for
German immigrants, however, is ex-
hausted for some years to come.
The men meeting in the White
House constitute the Executive
Committee of the inter-govern-
mental work. Their conclusions
cannot commit the 30-odd govern
ments making up the Inter-Gov.
ernmental Committee; they must
limit themselves to recommended