Evening star., 1948-02-11
RooseveIt's Anticipation Of Refugee Problem
ed to TuyIor Appointment as Envoy to Pope

In conversations with the PreSi.
dent, I cautioned that we could not
send a regular ambassador to the
Vatican and would have to limit
ourselves to q personal representa-
tive from himself to the Pope. I
favored Phillips suggestion that this
representative should be a Prot
estant. Great Britain had followed
the procedure of naming a Protes-
tant as her minister to the Vatican,
with a Catholic as first secretary Of
the legation. I also said that, II
he took this step. he should stimuli
taneously enlist the similar co-op-
Grafton of the American leaders Of
other churches.
The President sent me on October
2 a long memorandum which began
with: "This is q wholly original
thought with me and 7 have dis
cussed it with no one else" He
prospected the probability that when
the war ended, whether soon, next
summer or three years or five years
from now" there would be q very
large number of refugees, Christian
as well as Jewish, coming from
many countries, including even
England, France and Italy.
II am wondering, therefore" he
continued, ''if you and I should not
begin the consideration. while tho
war Is still on, of discussing the
whole subject with the Vatican and
with the representatives of the Fed
eral Council of Churches in Amer
lea and some similar organizations
in Europe. The contact with the
Jews has already been made through
the Myron Taylor Committee.
But a contact with the Catholic
Church ought to be made directly
with the Vatican itself, because this
question is Of infinitely more i'm
portance to European Catholics
than to American Catholics.
"It is my thought, therefore,
that while there Is no particular
reason for haste, we might give
consideration to sending at later
date a special minister or ambas-
sador on special mission to the Vat
ican, In order that we could have q
direct system of communication
covering the subject of European
Catholic refugees"
Sent Phillips Cable.
On October 10 he sent me an
other memorandum. Mr.. Roose-
,,.1+ .a;l. aI,o,. xoyin,,s roo cn,,c r
think 1t would be a good idea for
YOU to telegraph something along
the following line to Phillips: 'Wfll
you at your convenience intimate to
the Papal Secretary Of State that
the President has been made very
happy by the impartial printing OF
American news In the "Osservatore
Romano. >" I sent Phillips o
cable to this effect on october II,
and on October 20 received a cable
from him expressing the Popes
qualification at the Presidents
message.
After some weeks of soundings at
the Vatican, I cabled Phillips on
December %, informing him of the
text of a Christmas letter to the
Pope from the President which
would be made public on the fol-
lowing, day, and Of the Presidents
intention to announce the appoint
ment of Myron c. Taylor as nis
Representative to the Vatican. 9.@l
+ A more suitable selection than
Mr.. Taylor could not have been
made. He possessed wide intelli-
gence and unusual common sense
In addition to his work at the
Vatican he became one Of the n1ov-
ing spirits in our work Of initiating
and developing the outlines OF q
proposed world peace organization
Mr.. Taylor sailed for Europe IN
February, 1910, and our new rela-
tions with the Vatican began. It
developed that the Pope had the
same realistic approach to the prob
lem of peace in Europe as ourselves.
and was determined not to put for
ward ideas for settlement unless o
peace could be won that would last.
That time was not to come until
Germany lay in shambles.
Copyright. 194s by North American
Newspaper Alliance)