Q: Professor David Nasaw – The Last Million – Intro

A:

• US Historian, American Jew, New Yorker

• Biographer of Joseph Kennedy

• Student of post-World War 2

• Million Refugees in Germany after the war

• Non-Jews & Jews

Q: What was the International Refugee Organization?

A: 

• Initially refugees under UN – repatriation

• Roosevelt set up IRO to resettle the refugees

• Many resettled except for Jews

• Blatant anti-Semitism by Western countries

Q: DP Camps – Jewish survivors placed with Nazi murderers?!

A: 

• Absurdity of history

• Refugees were divided by last country of residence

• Jews were placed in same camps as their murderers!

• Truman representative issues independent report

Q: Did the USA play a positive role?

A:

• Truman knows congress won’t pass immigration law for Jews

• Needs a solution to get Jews out of Germany

• Strategy of pressuring British

• Attempt to get UN to act

Q:  What was the role of the military?

A: 

• Military by and large ignored the Jews

• Small number of active Jewish soldiers /chaplains

• Eisenhower was sympathetic; directed officers to help Jews

• General Patten was a viscious anti-Semite

Q: Where were the American Jewish organizations?

A: 

• Basically shied away from these issues

• American Jewish Committee – too timid

Q: Where did the 250K Jewish refugees end up?

A: 

• 155,000 go to Israel

• 50,000 United States

• Significant numbers to Canada

• Smaller numbers to Australia, South Africa, South America

Q: Is the world better equipped to handle refugee issues?

A: 

• In 1943 Roosevelt recognizes future mass scale refugee problems

• Global issue demanding a coordinated international response

• USA has held back in organizing international coalition for refugees