AMERICAN C IL or VOLUNT RY AGF..NCIE.S FOR FvREIGN S~ !CE - Sub-Committee on Cam: s. - ~ "'G • / .AMERICAN COUNCIL OF ·VOLUNTARY AGDJC IES FOR FOREIGN SERVICE, INC. 122 East 22 Street. New York 10, New York MINUTF.S Su~Committee on Cam,, s February 13, 1945 Mrs. Schauffler, Chairman of the Interio Committee, !resided in the absense of M~ Bock who_was ex-~ected back from Cincinnati shortly. She introduced Mrs. Silver­ schoen-H rtz of. Geneva, Executive Director of the International Cocmittee to Secure ]l:r. loymet\t for Refugee Professional Workers, who then gave the following re1-ort on the cam~s in Switzerland, covering not all but the most iml,'ortant i-:ointa: "Switzerland has acce ted during this war the greatest nu:nber of civilian :refugees. At the last ccunt. there were 60.000 civilian and 50,000 ~ilitary refugees, but this number is constantly increasing. In Se~tember of 1942 there had been only 7,500 refugees, which goes to show hew many ti~es this number has been ~ulti1lied since then, and it will kee · growing tn the same ~anner. This growth always tre­ sents new difficulties tc : ublic and ·, rivate orgt.nizati::.ns. Switzerland was not 1:>re:'arod for this increase in 1 Cf ulati.::.n e.nd it was, therefore, very he.rd at the beginning to set u1 crun: s~ The situation, however, is new under control and ~ere refugees can be absorbed without great disturbance. Any re1 orts that ca.we from refugees in : revious years, describing bad living conditions, were true in 1942, J43, and 144, but are no longer true today.

· "Every refugee is interned irEediately u: on entering Switzerland. He is 2ut first in a rece:. t ion cam:· for three weeks; this "!. ericd was f c,rnerly ae:veral months but has now been reduced. HO is examinied for contagious diseases. Since he cannot work in these recer- tion can_s, he has tc · ay 3½ fcs. a day, If he does not have any ooney, the Swiss Governnent advances this an:ount. The rece~tion can: s are military can; a and the only ~- arsons allowed to visit them. are ministers, Rabbis and re:,·, resentatives of children welfare agencies. The ~ail is censored by the military authorities. At the beginni ng they had to slee1 on straw,. but this is ever beco~ing ouch better.

"After this initial three-weeks eriod, they are sent to work cam., a, and these who cannot work, to intenmee ~ea. where families live together. Under certain cir­ CUI:Jatances, students and others are liberated fron the camps. There are 95 cam1Js altogether, com.1. rising 41 work cam1 s and 54 internee h~es. The latter include four kosher ho~es, three ho~es for young ladies, and one sewing circle in Zurich. Refugees of 24 different nationalities are interned in these cae1~s. The Dutch tuld French refugees are treated differently because the Dutch Government vays all fees and the French will be 11 berated soon."

At this roint, Mrs. Silverschoen-Hirst read some statistics, giving the total figure of the refugees broken down by nationality. There were 166 Belgians, 109 French, 109 Greeks, '708 Dutch, and 181 stateless Russians. These figures do not include : ~. .. J-riaoners of war and were true of Nov~ber 9; they have l robably changed since then. She continued then, as follows:

"The men work on road construction er do agricultural 1\Urk. The salary is l½ fcs. daily, 75% of which is rut into a savings account. They are free four days out of every six weeks, at which tioe they I:'.laY dr4w on their savings account. They are allowed to travel only 35 cilee distant from the C8lnf during their free da,Ys, ex­ cer t when they receive srecial r emission to see their it::JJ:1ediate fawily. Sme work cqe are barracks, the new ones hotels. In the hotels, four to five ~ersons sle~; in one rooo. They a.re sur ervieed by a Swiss Cam!, Director. The refugees take care of the housework and the ad□ inietration. l,80 fcs. oay be a. ent by each erson for food. Some cani s have Swtss ccolts, but the food is better in the caors vdiere the . -• - z - cooks are refugees. The clothes for work are received from the Government and they must be returned when released. "The situation in the internee homes is much the same, exce-;, t that they are all located in hotels and the refugees have to do housework only. The salary for. that is 20 to 60f a day, half of which is J.: ut into the savings account. The refugee com­ mittees send : ocket-money into the cam:. s for refugees cf some nationalities, while others are assisted by their own governments. All ~edical fees a.re , aid by the Swiss Government. "Work begins at eight o'clock in the morning, and there a.re two hours off for lunch. The food is served in :tlates in some cam ,. s, in just one ; late with just one s:i; oon in others. Work finishes at five o1 clock and dinner is served at 6 or 6:30 • .Every­ one has to be in bed by 10 o1clock. "Language courses are ~eing given by refugees. ORT gives courses in sewing, cutting of materials, etc. These courses were first given only in the evenings, but now they a.re also given during the day on certain days. One room is the 11 inf iroerie11 with one refugee doctor and a Swiss doctor who comes once or twice a week. Serious.... ly ill , arsons are sent to hos~ itals. All refugees are insured. Children and mothers live together under much better living conditions than the men. The child­ ren attend the cao~ schools. There is a large staff of nurses. The various refu­ gee organizations do all they can to Qake the lot easier for the refugeees in the cam1 s. There are three theatre grou:, s and one J:iusic grouJ: , made u: of refugees, travelling from cami. to camr . There are also lectures in Zionism, etc. The Swiss ­ Government hires speakers to s1eak on education or the Swiss right of asylum. Dis­ cussions from the floor f~llow. The camr s a.re usually in the mountains, far from the cities, so these are very valuable. Of courm, there is a restriction of ~arsenal freedom and it will, if it goes on, uderraine the 1 eor le•s morale, although the camr directors do everything to make them forgo~ their oiserable situation. The refugee organizations vitlit the cam.1 s .and are 1n continuous ; ersonal contact · with the refugees and the ~opulation is very good and often friendly, but they are all anxious4" waiting for the nooent when they can again ~oturn to their ~ersonal life." Mrs. Schauffler asked for questions, and in answer to such, Mrs. Silverschoen-Hirst added the following inforI!lation:

The children over six years of age are placed in various homes. The reason for that is that the internee hooes are high in the oountains where there are no schools, so they are ~ut in hones with families, where they can attend school up through college. They are su-, •ervised by the Red Cross and an organization of ass­ istance to the children of refugees. (Mrs. Silverschoen gave the Gernan work, 11 Ecligrantenkinderhilfe 11 ) It is very difficult for the children to be thus se1, ara~ fro□ their : a.rents. No excei. tions are made in this. They can see their r arents for four ~s every six weeks. At this ti~e, the Swiss Goverm:J.ent ~ays for their ticket. They can either go to see their r arents, or the ~arents can come to see them, or they can meet at sooe other place.

Work in the worlc can;~ s is com~ulsory. The tasks of kee: ing the cam s in ord.er are divided anong the refugees. Those who do not want to work are sent. to prison. Noboczy is allowed to enter the military cao~, s. Only the various agencies are allowed to visit the civilian cam·· s, e:xce1-, t on Sundays when visitors are :.,emit-bed.

Married cou1les are together with their children if they are under six yea.rs of age, provided they cannot work and are in internee homes. If they can work, the husbands are separated from their wives, but the caz:ips a.re not far a1.art and they can see each other on Saturdays and Sundays. ...

- 3 - Refugees can be released only because of illness or to co11tinue their studies.

Medical hel~ is given by the government whenever they need it or when arising from a he~~n,atior. They may be exaoinad by the i hysician trhenever he arrives. However, souei;hing like eyeelasses has to be 1 aid for by the refugees themselves. If they have no money, the rivete agencies will take care of it. They also ~~ the fees nan a refugee is released ar when a four-week vacation is ordered on account of failing health.

The children attending schools outside of the CB!!l.i S are taught together with the Swiss children, in the sacie oa.nner, ~din the sacie subjects, going to regular r ublic schools. The schools in the cam s are organized by refugees, but the Swiss Governr.:ient sends somebody to test the children from t 1me to time becauso they want then to £ollow the Swiss educational system. When money is sent to the refugees by relatives in other countries, it is first used to 1 ay the debt of the 3½-,.fcs.-a,-day fee for the rece~tion caor because they do not work and receive no salary during their stay there. Tat is why money thus sent often does not reach the addressee. Religious education is fin9.Ilced by the private agencies • .All agencies in Switzerland have now asked the refugees what they want to do after the war. All those who came froi!l France, Belgiuo, Holland and Italy will probably return to their countries. Only the Austrians, Hungarians, Poles and Geroans will not return. The Dutch Government has already said that its subjects can return to their country. Those who lived in France before 1940 can also return. They are 1ut in a camp in France first, until sooeone cooes and _certifies that the refugee in question has really lived in that town before 1940. The Dutch Governoent treats the refugees in Switzerland the way it treats its own reo-,;le. About 15,000 i,ersons, however, won 1t know what to do. There are not more than 200 Lithuanian refugees in Switzerla,r,d. They came from Germany and fro:::i Poland,

The Swiss Government y ays 30 fcs. monthly to the :.,:eoi; le in the ca::irs fron the i:ioney they receive from abroad. The rest of the ~oney is kert until the refugee leaves Switzerland or whon h~ needs so!:lething srecial.

500 of the Czech refugees have already joined the Arey. There are also oarzy Yugo­ slavs, over 1,000 of who~ have not thus far been reratriated. The various govern­ ments themselves will assu:ne resy, onsibility for the re"" atriation when such has been authorized,

The courses were only given in the evenings first, so as not to interfere with the wore the refugees have to do, but now the directors have finall..v been induced to give l- ermission for thee to receive some training during their hours of work also. The women work in the kitchens and sew. The recently arrived convoy from Thereaienstad.t was not the first official convoy but the third. First, 380 Hungarians ca.me from l3ergenbeleen in August, and 1300 1ersons cane later, also from l3ergenbelsen. Most of these had visas fl'C:l~alestine and were exchanged for Geruana living in Palestine. The first grou~ came to the race.,. t ion cam1s at M0 ntreux, but they were then sent to various other CaDY B and scattered among other refugees. If the 1,:eor:le from Theresienstadt rroai; in Switzer­ land, the same will be true of them, but they may go to Algiers. The first grour told of comparatively good treat~ent in the camp at l3ergenbelsen. ◄ • • ..

- 4 -

Among the 15,000 who won't be able to retur!1 will be German, Austrian, Poli:h and Hungaria:1 Jews, mostly stateless. The Swiss Government will not want to keep tra.mn. Some of them will come to the United States, others will go to Palestine if pos­ sible.

It is very difficult to obtain permission for work for these refugees and usually possible only in special cases. It is the job of the International Com­ mittee to Secure mmployment for Refugee Professional Workers, which Mrs. Silver­ schoen-Hirst heads, to look after that. At first, they had to find positions only for the German refugees, but then there were more and more refugees looking for work, and it became extremely difficult to find it. When they could no longer secure work for them at all, they did rescue work, just helping them to save their lives. Today, they are preparing them for positions after the war. No difference is made for intellectuals. They send them some pocket-money, so that they may learn a profession. The Swiss Government has agreed to open two homes only for intellectuals, one in Geneva and one in Zurich. There are courses for lawyers because they cannot practice law in any country but their own, and so they are taught the laws of the Cooperativa, bankin1; laws, etc. so that they must not ne­ cessarily be la~~ers. Physicians may be liberated for four weeks for training in a hospital. OSE and the Committee to Secure Employment pay for this training. Then they have to go back to their camp because doctors are badly needed in the camps. $50 a month is paid for the maintenance of those who are released.

Mr. Beck, who had arrived during the discussion, expressed his and the Com­ mittee's appreciation for this valuable report, and the meeting adjourned. AMERIC.A.N COUNCIL OF VOLUNTARY AGENCIJ!lS FOR FOREIGN SERVICE, INC. 122 East 22 Street, New York 10, New York

MINUTES CONFIDENT UL

Sub-rCommittee on Campa - December 13 1 1944

Minutes Mr. Joseph Beck, presiding. Fourteen members of the committee were pro­ sent.

The minutes of the previous meeting, November 22, 1944, having been mailed to all members, were not read.

Resolution Mr. :Beck explained steps planned regarding the camp resolution and said that he hopes for immediate action in view of the fact that the Oswego situation is not improving. He added he believes the knowledge that a group such as this Com­ 'mittee one is interested in bettering the situation and will tend to alleviate the "worries" among the residents. In answer to a question regarding the follow-up on the resolution, Mr. i eck said that the Committee on Camp wishes to be represented on any group that carries the resolution to the proper authorities in Washington.

Sub-Committee The Chairman reported that letters had gone out to some members of t the Committee on Camps, asking them to serve as a Sub-Committee on Services. The Chainnan outlined several steps to be taken regarding services of voluntary agencu at Oswego: 1. Mr. Dillen Meyer to be seen first for general approval of the S'\l.€"" gestions; 2. the War Refugee Board, possibly Morgenthau personally, to be seen next; Secretary of the State Stettinius and George Warren were suggested as offic­ ials who might be approached. Miss I.D.rned remarked that the more services volun­ tary agencies can continue to give will tend to speed up the process of getting the services accepted. She said that about 200 case histories had been treated by the voluntary agencies, and she felt that 500 would be more convincing. It was felt that 6c,% of such material would probably show up all the potentials and that, whereas it might be ideal to have 100%, the work could probably go forward with 60% having been finished. This would be a valid basis on which to plan needed services. Miss Larned also felt that as far as location of relatives was concerned the work could go forward on a 6af, coverage, though this might not be true as far as other categories are concerned. (All cf this is possible, of course, providing the Government authorities approve the measure.) Mr. :Beck suggested the use of the punch-card system which is available in the office of NRS. He said that such a system could show not only ages, where the refugees came from, but it could show categorically relatives in this country, and all inter­ relations could be found by use of the punch-card system.

Santa Rosa Camp, Leon, Mexico. Miss Egan of the National Catholic Welfare Services, who spent some time at the Santa Rosa Camp, told of her work and observations there under five general headings: 1. History of the people and initial setting up of the Camp. 2. What services are given by the Governments. 3. Life of the people - their privileges and restrictions. 4. Contribution of the private agencies. 5. Status of the people in regard to immi,gration and clarification of status. Miss Egan said that the comments which she would make were based on observations during the early months of camp operation and added that she felt that Miss Calkins and Miss Page, who would speak later, would probably be able to tell of many changes and improvements.

There are 1440 residents of Camp Rosa. They represent people who left Poland when it was clear that the country would be occupied by the Nazis. Some of the residents had fled to·Bombay; refugees were brought from India to San Pedro. California in troop ships.

Leon is 250 miles from Mexico City. The refugees came voluntarily but with many misunderstandings according to Miss Egan. Many of them came hoping to be able to live a safe life, secure a little horne and make money with which they would be en­ abled to return to Poland. Many of them have relations in the United States. Some .ca.i-ne from the peasantry of Poland to get work and money, so as to go back with money to buy land in Poland. Uiss Egan explained that something psychological happened to them when they first ca.me to Santa Rosa when they were guarded by Mex­ ican soldiers with bayonets, this following as it did their internment in concentra­ tion camps. She said that their new status in a refugee camp should have been inter­ preted to them immediately and made this as one of her recom.~endations for future similar undertakings; she said also that she believed it very in:portant that a camp should be ready for the refugees.

Miss Egan expressed her belief that the gcoW) ehould have been more homogeneous and noted that some in the Santa Rosa Camp had been habitual criminals, and that as a result considerable deliquency resulted in a small group in the camp. She felt that one standard should have been established in a group, capable of living toget~ her in such a camp.

The first group came to Santa Rosa in July, 1943y and the second in November. This latter group was integrated quickly and included 255 11 orphans 11 •

Miss Egan observed that it might be cheaper and better to start a camp from scratch rather than to attempt, as it was done in Santa Rosa, to use old buildings - mak­ ing an attempt to reconvert them.

Living conditions in Santa Rosa were not adequate when the group came. Single men and women were in barracks; many had brought blankets with them and even thoU@l it was cold in the barracks, many preferred to use the blankets to hang up in order to gain some semblance of yrivacy; toilet facilities were not good; the let­ down of moral standards was apparent as a result of this bad housing. In general family groups were given one room, separate from others. Many fixed up their one room V7ith things which they had brought with them and which were given to them at the camp; there was no facility for cooking.

The clothing budget was'inadequate though an arrangement for improvement was under way.

Polish cuisine was finally established; which helped materially. Miss Egan point­ ed out· that the refugees needed sone garden space allotted to each family, where they could grow food stuffs and learn about farming. - 3 - The chaotic conditions and the let-down which many felt added to the disturbed con­ dition of the people and they have not become stabilized mentally.

Miss Calkins spoke next and prefaced her recarks by saying that she thought that M1-s · ·:mgau -would be encouraged if she could see the camp now. She said that 1. safety measure had been taken in that there are fire escapes and drainage sysa now; that 2. new houses have been built - about 25 of them - that are small but a great improvement over the congregate living, and each home is arranged for four or five people; that 3• blocks of houses have been built - about 100 - constructed in the community form around a court-yard where there is a shower house, toilets, and so forth; 4. houses for single men have been built. The result is that there are at present five square meters of living space for each individual, anyway this being the standard in Mexico. Miss Calkins felt that the housing needs shortly will be pretty well taken care of and added that privacy in housing has helped greatly in the morals question. She noted that there is now a camp standard which requires legal marriage with the person with whom you live.

Miss Calkins reported that a bakery has been set up and that Polish bread is made. A theatre in an old barn has a projector booth, and the National Catholic Welfare Council has provided a projector for moving pictures. She said that everything has been white-washed and that this has an extremely good effect upon the refugees, and has a reacti9n to good housekeeping, The people have taken pride in fixing up the apartments; renovation of apartments has been inspired. She told of three pro­ jected plans, possible baEU3e t he camp has secured an additional 22 acres of land: 1. a new orphanage, the plan for which is very good; 2, an isolation ward for those with bad moral records; 3. garden space for familite and individuals. Miss Calkins observed that this project has met with difficulty due to prior rights of farmers around the camp.

At present, the chil.dren who live in the "orphanage" are differentiated between the children 11 citizens 11 of the Ca.II!). There are 700 children in all. Orphans are disciplined, the civilians free. This differentiation in treatment is a probable carry-over from the Old World

Miss Page who had recently returned from the Mexican Camp told of her recreation work with the 11 orphan 11 children, mainly the g - 12 group. She said that they rare­ ly intermingle with the 11 civilian11 children.

In the main the children have overcome the effects of unfortunate life in Russia du.ring which they were taught to steal and offend, thereby becoming heroes; the children are 11 wise 11 grown-ups, Miss Page said. The Orphanage children seemed to be better adjusted as a result of the orderly living plan; they are dressed alike and considerable regimentation of the orphanage system has apparently cut back the number of misdemeanors.

Land, Supplies and Finance Land for the camp was loaned by the Mexican Government Miss Egan reported and added that Mexican soldiers with bayonets patrolled the area at first; now there is a Mexican government official who arranges passes for order­ ly leave from camp and patrolling has ceased.

The United States Governm ~•: ~- supplies shelter, furnishings, and food. The Polish Government supplies staff heads; the payro1l is met by F.E •.A.. except that some - . - - 4 - projects a.re paid for with Polish War Relief Funds. Services auch as schools, medical care and clothing - Polish War Relief Funds. Priests in the camps are supplied by the Bishops and the welfare program is conducted by the National Catholic Welfare Conference-War Relief Services.

Labor The Mexican government dis-allows competition with Mexican Labor and Miss Egan remarked that she felt that the Mexican government bad not taken advantage of certain skills within the camp.

Restrictions Passes to the town five miles away are limited and a bus schedule has been established. The barbed wire around the camp area was washed away in the flood and the main concern about it is that there is now no place for the refugees to hang the washl

Roll of Private Agencies Polish War Relief supplies clothing, medical care, and schooling. Medical care is remedical, primarily. Services of the town hospital are made available in addition to the new camp hospital and isolation facilities. It is reported that there is a great need for vitamins for the group. Clothing is now distributed by the Polish War Relief; at first it was undertaken on the dole system but is now distributed in relation to earned salary. Credit instead of clothing is now being arranged and Polish War Relief is endeavoring to have the refugees take more responsibility in handling such matters.

Other Points The Social Welfare Ministry and the Education Ministry appointed by the Polish Government in London are in the position of first control in the Mexican camp.

Jewish Residents There were 2S Jewish residents when the camp was first established; many were given 76 pesos extra by Jewish organizations in Mexico, which made them the 11weal thy" people of the camp. Y.any have relocated outside the camp through efforts of Polish Jews in Mexico. It is understood by some observers of the sit­ uation that for a price refugees are able to gain separation from camp on a perma­ nent basis. This is an accepted proceedure in Mexico.

N.C.W.C. In a recreation center provided by the National Catholic Welfare Confer­ ence, WRS, English and Spanish claeses are available and the community center pro­ gram includes dramatics, adult education, dtmcing, games, radio and newspapers, ~raille, and •couting; trips are arranged through the efforts of the N.C.W.C. for groups. Community life in camp is essential in Tie• of the fact that the Mexicans of the near-by town discourage participation in community affairs.

Youth Programs have been developed including Girl Scouting and ~oy Scouting. The barbed-wire complex suffered by many of the children made it necessary to develope programs and the Mexican Government ":las approved excursions mainly for children to near-by Indian Villae;es, sulpher baths, ete.

Vocational Training There is a plan for training courses in farming, not only for the purposes of production but for educ€.tion; there is a sewing workshop, silver workshop, dental mechanics (reflecting a great need in Poland) and a beauty course.

Questions Mr. ~eek asked the speakers what they see as the eventuality of the group, what is the Polish governments attitude as to return to Poland of the group; what - J ... •

- 5 -

is the ncturo of the political problem? Miss Calkins in answering said that in the main the refugees have not thought or planned for their futures; most of them are most anxious to get work. Miss Calkins said that most of the refugees came original­ ly from Eastern Poland, dislike the Russians and would rather commit suicide than return to a Poland under Russian domination. Almost all of them want to go to the United States and are in need of correct information about possible destiny.

Miss Page said that she believes the great majority are completely unrealistic about their futures; when they came to Mexico they had the rosy dream that they would eventually settle in the United States of America.

The camp director thinks in terms of getting the refugees back to Poland(with as many skills as possible) because of the need of workers there.

Miss Calkins spolte of the need to organize a service whereby the residents could con­ tact relatives and said that one of the workers had done sooething to effect this.

Mr. Beck pointed out that the discussion had shown the differentials in treatment of people in the camps and suggested that experiences in other camps be brought before the Sub-Committee.

Gratitude was expressed to Miss Egan, Y.iss Calkins, and Miss Page.

Mrs. Schauffler suggested that the complete Haverford report might be made available to the sub•committee by Dr. Stear and pointed out that three problems seem uppermost in both Oswego and Mexico, namely Lack of interpretation - Problem of Rehabilitation - Problem of Relocation She said that there is without doubt a l~ng-term job of assimilation and suggested that the Intergovernmental Committee be interrogated. She added that the people in the ltexican Camp are probably· concerned with the possibility of their not going back to their homes in East Polan~~

Mr. Beck said that the next meeting of the sub-comi~ittee would be called after the first of the year. ~ - .

.inu. tee o ee·ti1:g or Q,;imm..tt tea OYl Ce.mpD "c.ld at 139 Cent~. St-root rtey 9th at 12,30 P15.

National Rei'ug-ee Service, Ino ..

Miss Kate Ro""enhaj.m t\f.,r:trica.n Ch!'istio...'?. Ccmmit·tee for Refugees Miss Charlotte E. Owe~ Are.er.ican Co-a.:ncil of Volu.."'lto.:cy Agencies M133 f:fargarst E. Jones tnmT.iGWl Fr.tends Service Committee Mrs. Louise Kcli-tsch Ame~ican Rellet for Ozeehoelovali:1a, Inc. Mr. Recd Lewis Common Co1.mcil Mr. ISAe.c Asofak'!J Hebrew Irumigrmit & Aid Society Miss Maud. L. At:erb~ch L"'lto:t"tla:tions.1 Migration Service Miua Eliza.bath Wv CJ ..~"'k w Q ~ Mr. Rosenberg In·tei"tlation.al Rescue & RGlle:f' Committee Mr. D. B. Hu..'l'"Wi.ts Joint Distribution Committee Mrs. Eat.her B .. .£:~Uz Nutiona.1 Council of J a·llish Women !Ir. Henry Viv Levy ft It 1:1 ff • Mr. Derna1·d Dub in National Refugee Service, Ino. 1:.r. Henry E. Muller Unitarian erv1oe Committee Miss Ei.leen Egan War Relief Sorvice Mabel D• El.l:1.s ~f~tiona1 Board of Y, W, CA.

Prof. Joseph P. Ohamber.la.i:i.

ii.r. lsofsky I'f>ported for the Su.1J..-Ool"'i1:,1.i"~t,ea which has been e21.-ploring various poseibilit,ies relating to the iUtUN of the r-esitlertts of Fort Ontario The: SUb-Cor:unitt,ae o:f which Prof. Chambsrla.in ie Chai.:i:·man, m-at with tir. Reed Ler:is of' COZill!lon Cr •moil who is to in­ £ormalJ.y discusEt with f:riendl_y C".>ng..•4.rn:.~J11en the pousibili·ty of secuA ~ t'avo:rable (".Ong:resaional action in behalf of th$ residents of .Fort Ontario.

There a.re other poJJ.ttcu en~r, to be watched, nar.,"1ly-: tt1e i◄ uro.ora that Attorney General Biddle w~..11 re84-u shortly and ·t:·u., possil:,ility that his succosscr might give a more liberal int,erprE.rtation of 'the EKec,.1M.vo Ord.el... undt:ir whi.ch the Sheltor. ,,as establi~ned. Some people in Missouri bavt:1 al.$0 ll3an i..1.~ked t-0 explore pcssib..l.e contacts with tho Pl'esident. There was al~o mention made that the Iiew York mzyo:relity situatlon may affect B:rig. Gen. O'l>qer•.a podtion• in the situatior1 as Direotox• of' the Wm• Ret11ge Board. It has been indicated t,hat the WRB is to go out. of exitrtonce on Juno .30th. It will the.ra­ fore ht\ neces3&"".f to diopose or transra:r tho:-;e matters now within the juriediet!or, of the WRB, Oswego being one. lt ~as ientioned that the State Department doss not ,z1ant the mthoriiy WRB has had in Oswego, and the Justice Departu:errt is also not enthwliastie about the prospect,. It is quite possible that. the Preoi.Jent will have -to decide which agency will. have responsibility •

.l letter was then read frotr, Mi... Sma.rt, which was received by HIAS, NC.l'W, NRS and ·t.he National Board of the YWCA l;llieh indice.t.ed that Mr. Sme.rt was resiening as Director of the Shelter t,o devote his onergiea omplet.al;y to seaur.i.ng f'a.vora.'ble congress..i.onal action granting ·the resid(lnt.s of O~wego immigration o-tat.us. He also aalcGd the agencies to support his effort. This includes financial asshitance. l'hare was also a report given of resolutions adopted by the refugee group witbi.W1 the 8helte-..r asking Mr. Smart to t,ake tb.esG actions and offering their suppo1-t, ·

The Committee wa.a concerned abou·~ thr,, truth of the rtn»ors whfoh are rapidly gaining circulation that the Cmnp is w be clos'!ld Sll'trl t.h~ -r:,eople returned to Europe. It wae reoogni2ed that the Comm.lttea h.13.:<% r,c .di~m.urn ",DX-Be pMSes of this problem - l) the effect or the rumors on 'Mia resld8PtR of i!'~'Mi OJl't.m--.,o~ ?.} Mr, Smart• a plans; 3) his request for fin&ncial assistance. in rel&Ttion to this, Prof. Cru-..mberlain reported that he discussed. witl'i Mr. Dillon Myer, Mr. &la.rt' s plans. The \IBA has indicated that , -..

the re .. ignation and plan f 6r his c mpaign o me as a C9Jllplete s priee to that agency and that r. Smart was due in W&shir~on tod.q' to diamwa this 1th Vi.RA. There ass diamwslon about the err ct ol' such a cwnpa.ign upon the gen ral t1on policy in this country in view o.~: Ulfavora.ble congres ional per towards lmmigra- tion s a whol • · f.Ar. l!uller of t.he Unitarian Servlc Comm1tte i'elt that his organization was in favor of positive action to b taken in behe.l.f of th.o refugees and that the Committee has not gone far enough in exploring congressional. possibilities. It w~s recalled that the Sub-Committee !Jc!, d1scw,s1ng pos ibiliti .s of cougr ssional a1't1on with variow, governmental official.a wer told that th.19 chances of securing favorable aotion in Ccmgresa is remote and that there a.re, on the other hand, E. large number of unfavorable bills introduced regule.rly und that the eff'orta of liberal forces are always to prevent those bills fro boing nported out by the Committee.

It was also reported t.':lat WRA has written to the •ff\B tecominending that th y take steps with the Immigration Committee in Congress to plead the cases 0£ 25 residents at Ob1tego who have the most valid claims for 1mm1gi•atlon status, hoping that this would be an openlng wedge.

It was also 8Uggested that it might ba iso to explore the possibilities of the Rules Committee report1.ilg out auch s bill on Oswego even 1£ the Inmigratlon Cor::mittee approved it, and the suggestion was made tba.t C.::mgressman Sabbath consulted on this. There was some discussion about the possibility of providing financial support to Ur. Smarl' s plan and it was mention d that most a.;encies -,-ou.ld be unable to do so since thy are prohibited ~a tax exempt organi~ations to use 8XlY of~ ir f ds for lobbying pirpose • However, it as recognized that Mr. Smart ~obably could secui-a the fund• he 1a requesting fr private individuals - frieuds and re1ut1ves or the refugees

There then followed some d.1.i::OWJsion on the relationship or other a0encies in this pictUl'e, such as the InternationEu. Goverr1!llental Committ e and UNF&. It waa pointed out that tho latte1· agency could act o~v 1f t.ho U.S. officially ask th •

Mr. Reed Lewis telt that the Cor.mdt a ought to explore tho plans of Congressman Dick­ stein who a.s mpo ered by a resolution f the House Ueprceentatives to stud1 the po~t­ war immigration probler.:s anti he in turn has appointed ix sub-co.n:mitteea, ona of which is on Oswego. On the whole, Mr. Le s re t that. thi~ SU'b--Co.-mn.1ttee can bo considered a tr1e~dly one. Presumably, tl,i~ Sub-Committc will ce.11 op experts to testify 1n an effort to trame legislation to meet the probler.is this country ,;111 faoe at the termina- ti n of the war. e might work to,1ard havin~ Oswego incl\¥1 in any such general. bills. It was recalled tba.t previously in our hi:Jtor"J there was legislation blanketing 1n all those who were in this country without penaanent vioas. In view oi' the fact that Congress has expressed irritation on S6Veral occasions on the whole Oswego question, it was felt that any special legislation at this time on Oawego would be ill atlvisgd, since it 1s extreir.ely doubttul that. it v1ould pa3o, and furthei-more, it mitht Jeopardia any 6'1tneral legislation.. In addition, it is queutionable whether the Immigration Calim1tte would ant to report out any bill on Oswego before it had completed the investigation which it is supposed to do according to the resolution before tbs end of the year. .t motion was mado b] Mr. Asof::l.\{;,'" and r,;econdoo by Miss Jones, that tho- Sub-COmmit't,ee consult with Conr,resaman Diekst.e:tn 't,o discu~s with him the problom or the peopls of Oswego to determine \1.hat can be done within the fr.:t.. 1e work of e;ust:lng le.ws to keep them hero and also ·to explorlr3 the int,ent and ·the pL.ms ;1.!." the Congressional. Sub-Commit4 • on Oswego Whi<".h would also 1n olve :mggesting wUne~se~ be cal.led.. This Wci.S pat:>aed llh«nimously.

A motion waa then made th.at it is th.-l consensus of the group that no action be taken on Mr. Smart' a letter _pending a i1 cl!rc..1.ng with bk to

Finally, it wo.s decided that t..11-1. c~n,:;11 tt~ on Cn11tps meet at;ain on Mey 11th with Mr. Smart who will be in New York, t:r ui3m1ss tlitb him his puma.

B, Dubin/vg U.inn:tcs of r. eating cf C . r.:itte on Crui:ps Held at 139 Center Street May 11th at l2a.30 P1.L. r::r. Joseph E. Beck, ChaL."'man

l..i:..:~ Kate Ro;,enheim Arneric&~ Christian Connni~t~e for Refugees Hi:Js Ghurlo"Lte E. Owen ,unericar, Council o: Vclurrl:.o.ry A&;enc Le ; for Foreign Ser1·ica lf.rG. Elizabeth Clark Rei s If t H II It t'.i:.;::.. h:arge.ret E. J o::ies AJ>.erican F:dcncls Service CoL"..fflittee Er. Don B. Hil!~~1i -t z Al'.lcrioa:n Je\'t:i.sh Joint Di,rtribution C~mdttee !,lh:s Mm•gf.rct T. -Edelheiru /1mc~ica.11 Ort li'ederution Er. J oueph il. Sm.art ~~rgw~~ ?~f.\1..ce~ Shalt$r t'ir. !l:laac Aso:c'slcy' RebrE!"11' ~·. •u.<~,tr ,,nt, & .Aid SociErty Mias Ruth Larned Int~r.na'ii icncl IiigTation s~rvice Mi3S Eva 1Gwinski Intornationel Rescue & Relief Committee Ers. Esth~r B. Kaunitz Net.J.onal Council of Jewish Women Mr. Henry .: • Levy ff ff It " ., Mr. Da"t':'~ .1ublt1 National .Refugee Service, Inc. Mr. Henr:1 r.!u.11 er Unitarian Service Con::mittee Mr. Geo-rge i'!. I.J.les War Relief Service Mi0s Eileen Egan It n Lti~;s Mcbel U. : Ellis Y. Vi. C. A.

This meeting \;::..s called :,,:, tlw.t the group could consider ·,ith l'!tr. :~ :.,-;,-,.l'h Smart, Director of the Shelter, llis C8111paign plaaa to secure some change in stat.ur:; for the residents of Fort Ontario, after ho leaves his position in the Camp.

Mr. Smart stated t,hr~t he l'(;jcot,nbes that the group of agencies are sympathetic toward the residents oi' F0:rt Ontario, but that all their efforts todate to find some solution to the problem J;t.ave b~•~n unoo.ccessful. It is his belief that these :r;eople should bs recognized {l.S in1!L.igr·1mts to the Uniteq. States and should be given the opportunity to become citizens of this country. He pointed 0 11t that the a::,;encies agr~ed to the 11 leave of ab~ence 11 tJi.an, which iG really a "stop gap" meaSU!'e and Viou.ld not, solve the basic problem of security for these individual.SJ nevertheless the Attorney General did not ap:t?I'ove it. Thsrei'ore, unJ.ess some positive measures are tukcn to insure ci.gninst 1•eturn.ing the: re~:iJ.er:tio, it is his opinion that the Government vrill seek the return of this ~Tou.p t"' Europe. He continued that{ v:e brought theoe refi.lt,

Mr. Smart r~eognized that the agencies are concerned ilith the total immigri.tion problem and perhaps, as a result, th8'J cannot support his efforts in :relation to Fort Ont::.irio. He felt, ho·,:ever, that the t1·: o isi.u.es r;ere not acturu.ly in oontrad.iotion 1.1ith each other and that the Fort Ontario oit,uation should receive priority since \'le are faced with the reality of the 1•eturn of these people, v;hereas our concern with future immigration is based on speculation as to possible results.

In view of the fact that the Attorney General indicated that a remedy for the re~idents of Fort Ontario can be secm"ed only by congressional action, i·t v,e.s Mr. Sm.art's plan that a simple resolution be introduced in Congress without too rc:uch publicity. He hopes the private a:genci~s can ~upporl him in this ei'i'ort, though he reco;_;nizes that financial -2-

h lp by e&nnot be gi •

I!:-. Smart 1t-as asked what t,be agenc1e oe."l do specii'1call7 t,o • lp 1n this paign and he indicated that the 1tt}nwios oould pass a re... olut on pointing out ho th 1efugees hav been put in an unfavo:i:-ablo position and a:iking the Gove.rm:1ent to give the :I.migration at,tun. Mr. Smorl vraa e.lso aak t: tow.borate on hat his plans er for his campaign. In npl.1, he indicated ttw.t ho was hoping to be able to \·,ork out, strategies with represe tat1 • of agencies suppo1"tt1ng hie effort. It was his i'eoling that his effort. should b supported by a oroan sect... on of the vo.lu'l.lta:ry agencies int rested 1n this cause J that these aeencios ahould it be confined to representing one -~ticular religious group or opinion. He ~·,ould then like to ha.vo .favorable editorWs in new3po.pera recognized as usuall3' conserYati., in the.tr outlook. He also felt tbere might be some valwt in having a gro p of p1·o.m1:Mnt cit. z.sna representing all shad s of opinions nnd walks of 11£•, sign a statement. asking Congress t.o pa~s the proposed resolution. He al.so hoped to be able to enlist, the help of individU!ils who have #Jntre to friendly congnss­ aeu who would support and ateer such a. resolution through Co11o.-.reae with as little fanfare as possible. If the£.e efforts do not succeed, th n, and only as a last r sort, ;ro1ud be uso tho pr-eea and radio facilities.

Some discussion follo ed on what the obJeot,ive would be. Mr. Smart asid that he would like all those in Osw6go to be given an op:,,ortunity to apply for a. vi3& and be entitled to pNexami ticn. This would be vailable to those who would ant to pply, and thoee who would not be foaud eligible for such visas would then returned.

Thro as·a..lao soma discus ion a.D to what would happsn if ,heae people retumed to Eurupe ~ -th n applied f'N visaa • Mr. Sma..wt. poJ.nted out that many of them had applied tor visas prior to oor.ilng to Oswego and that 11' they rot\: ad to Europe they would lose all such ioriti a.

Tb.er was discussion so about t ~o~e o would no-t, be eliglble for visas for thia aountry and at tha sru:ie t.1.m.e would have no place to :h• ch to retui-n ince over half of the total pop'!llation uere former resid ts of Ge~any, Au tria and Poland. It wae pointed ~t that twice -previously in our history, there wa congressional ~tion bl.anketing in a. l thos o er in tbis country illegally e.nd vho had no place to return to, giYing them regular iml'iligrat on statues. . ' It wa alao &ntioned that tb se paople have not be n disorimina.ted against 1D being brought to this country, but by o iu~ con&reasioual acti.on, we are asking that there ba discrimination in fa or of this group. The discuoeion then revolved about relating Mr. Smart's action Vlith the possibility ot IOJ119 blanket immigr tion legislation whieh may be propoeed by thir:s countr,1 after the war because of the lal·ge number1_3 1n ·!Jie United States who cannot. be deported · nor repatriated• and which 1s one oi the functions of the Inquiry beiag conducted by the Immigration Committee. Thortt was some expression that poss1b4 seeking a separate bill on behalf of th9 Oswego reaidonts might jeoperdize the other legialation, and turthe1"Co:re, it was que&tiona.bl\3 whether the Immigration Committee would report out &DY' such bill before it f!as ready with its full report. '

Ir. Smart telt it would be fine to raar the two plans 1n provided there could be some assw:-ano that the refugees \Wuld be ~aintained within the Shelter tor another six months. He felt that without th( t assurance, there was every indication to believe that the refug es might, be returned c,uiokly. Disoussion followed as to WRB' s positio ...... ,,,,

-►

in th1e twr and it was recogniz d tbat sirice tbs fflU3 will c se functioning June 30th, that some d•oision might be made by that ency fore that date, a11d there wUl have to be eomG Exeau.t1ve Ord r tranaf rrl.ng the remaining functions of 11.RB to another ageocy. It l!lQntiansd that posoi~ th state Department mi~t be entrusted with this r• sibillt • It ms there.tore recognized that poseibl.7 ;. ,;1,. pl.:~. ,..,._,., ,1;·•., 1 il' ·•·vt2.'.:l oo to t lffl1oo ffbat 1a goirJ,g to do about Oengo S.n order to fi&ld out it and Vlhen tha rot.um of the refugees ts be.in& contemplated.. It was agreed that or ma..v reasons it ould be valid to aend a ire to Brig. Gen. o•Dwycr, kecutive Diraotor ot tho mm aigned by as ~ agenoies of this group who wtab to join in thi,: oticn, questioning him about the rumora that the retu.geea are to be return.-cd, and aho a tc:m1 th intont or mtB regarding the return ot tbe e people. SUch a mot.ion WRD made tv a-. Muller, seconded by Yr. uoteq and unanimous:13 ssed. Suo--Committee coneisting or Mr. 1.Av7, Mias ~ and llr. Dub1D 1s to ch-aft, such 11-e which is to be oircule:ted amongst the agaoies eo t,bat they cai"t decide hether or not their. JWJe ahel.l be affixed as a signa·~.

The ateps in process b.Y thia Commit·~e concerning this question were then swnmariaed and it was pointed out that a ca:r.nitte is approaohing Congreosman Dickatein to dete:rmine his plane pa.rtioularl,y f tL.e Sub-Committee on Onego, and also to render whatever help we can iu this directionJ secondl,y, some groups have already approoched Brig.. Oen. 0 10Wyer, and thirdly, the ire from us.

Mr. Smart stated that he ould like very much to relate bis eftons with this Ccmnittee and it so, h would want to know wha:t; our purpose and plans are in seeing Congresaman Dickstein u be ill visit him and the pnrposea ought ·to be mutual.

J'inaJ~, the question came up as to &ge."10)" otion in relation_to Ur. Smart• s reque1t tor resolutiozi and rinancial support. It was recoalliHd that the Boards or th• agencies re the o~ ones ~ deoida oil this question, and it ae pointed out that legal restriotiona F.9vented many- st,"Gneies from becoming involTed in the latter ..

It was agreed that the Minuteo of thie m eting be o1rcul tod a• qu.1ckl;r as possible among the member agencLts to permit.them t,<> discuss this with their Boards, 1t tw.y w1abed, and to give the agenoi. an oppor~unity to take up any pbaees ot these problems with their respective Bo !'ds • • I'\

WELFARE IN UNRRA MIDDLE EAST CAMPS

1944-45

An analysis of experience

Welfare Division Bureau of Services United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administ~ation washington, D. c. June 1945 WELFARE IN UNRRA MIDDLE. EAST CA..'1PS

1944-1945 ·

I. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY

This report is intended to show the gradual ·emergence of welfare problems and welfare services in the· Middle East Camps which UNRRA took over on 1 May 1944. Thes13 ser,vices were not planned in advance, but were tailored out of inadequate. materials to meet some of the-most pressing needs of the refugees and evacuees who had the misfortune to have to live in th~Se camps as the ,only alternative to the still greater misfortune of living under fascist rule.

A. Welfare Services in Temporary Communities

The experience of the Middle East camps has been important not only in it­ self but also for the general lessons it has to teach regarding welfare services in temporary communities. It has therefore been collected here under approximately the same hoe.dings as have been used in Elnergency Welfare Services (T'vVE(44)41), pages 94-100 (Washingtons UNRRA, December 1944).

These headings arec

1. Equitable distribution of basic necessities.

Many of the processes of every-day living had to be adapted _to the customs and desires of the residents.

Mass feeding everywhere broke down, even after Greek' and Yugoslav cooks had been found; the camp residents insisted on taking the centl"ally-cooked food to their own tents for serving and supplementation; and the dining halls were deserted except on ceremonial occasions. The 9entral cooking · of rations thus lost many of its hygienic advantages, and the alternativewas con~id­ ored of decentralizing cooking, so that it might _be done cooperatively, under proper supervision, by each group of tents. It was also propose d that each camp should be allowed to buy fresh fruit and vegetables locally, in · order to increase the probability of the ration being adequate in vitrunins and minerals as well as in calories, and in order to give s-ufficient variety for the residents to feel less need for privately supplementing their rations, v,rith consequent diminution of the fire and fly hazards • .

Clothes distribution was based on uniform i-ssue-s in some. camps and on· assess­ ment of need in others; it occupied a. considerable part of the time of :w\;:ll­ fare workers, owing to shortage of supplies,· ,. Housing had to be so allocated as to put families · f:toni. the same village near one another, and to attach unattached persons to families; unattached chil­ dren had to be kept track of as they attached themsol ves first ta one family and then to •another; nnd the layout of some camps had to be c11anged, so that some ca.mp residents should not suffer unduly from the . greasy s o·o't g_i ve?J, off from ill-adjusted central cooking stoves. · -2-

2. Self-government

This did not arise spontaneously, but needed stimulation. In the Yugoslav camps it came more easily owing partly to the fact that whole communities were transplanted from Dalmatia to Egypt, and partly to the steps ta.ken by , the National Liberation Movement to designate l~aders. The Greek migration, ·· hnving been spontaneous o.nd unorgo.nj.zed, lacked these starting-points • . .I :1 · ~-11 of · t l1e caiips, clothes distribution was managed by r~sidents' cormnittees, assisted by welfare workers, Self-government was -~lso use~ in the registration of evacuees and refugees, Safeguards agn.inst discrimino.tipn were needed.

3, Information and. counselling ,.

An important e~periment in this field was ma.de in the Greek camp at Nusei.rat, where a. system of. tent-visiting proved useful for health education, for put­ ting residents in touch with community senices, and- for counselling and casework when they had personal or family difficulties • . 4. Child welfare

Welfare initiative was needed in organizing not only baby centres, day nur­ series, child welfare ce ntr~s, and children's hostels -- all of which could be brought toge ther in a ca.mp children• s centre -- but also oettine up kinder­ garte ns, schools, o.nd occupational training, and persuading residents to nnke use of t hese facilities, although mo.ny of th9 services they rendered would become the tochnico.l r e sponsibili.ty of medical end educo.tional specialists. Provision was o.lso needed for the construc.tive .. a.nd -· non-politico.l use of the leisure-time of children and young persons, espectally_during the summer and ~fter school hours.

, • •••• 1' 5. Work

Opp·ortuni ty had to be found ·for camp residents to make th~ fullest possible contriQution to the well-being of the community and its members, The . contri• bution could be in many ·f orms, such as maintenance work of all kinds, use of medical and teaching skills, use of skilled craftsmanship both in meeting .camp needs and in equipping camp members for ~heir return home, and use of artistic talents, especially in music and. in painti.ng, .both inside and out­ side the camp. It proved impracticable to dravr a line -between 11 chores 11 and 11 frills 11 , with the former activities under the Camps Division and the latter ,under Welfare. Training, so as to help a refugee or evacuee become m9re use- ful after his repatriation, was, •highly successful in such fields as nursing, but proved impracticable along all lines in which elaborate machinery and ,abundant material were neede.d. Appropriate recognition had to -be give'n to ·. every camp-member's contribution to the well-being of the community: and · · ·· the refusal of the Yugoslavs to accep.t money wages 'impelled ·the welfare ' : · . workers to devise more appropriate ·forms of social recognition,: 6. Recreation

Canteens, movie-theatres, and churches were already there when UNRRA took over. What was nooded was to stimulate choirs, drama.tic presentations, picture shows, and other forms of creative a.rt in which active people could -3- find scope for their abilities and an opportunity to work together. These new developments were financed to s orne extent out of the profits from can­ teens, which were placed under refugee self-government. Some observers con­ sidered that profit made from the sale of food in the canteens ought to have been used for improving the diet of the camp as a whole.

Be Staff Activities for Temporary Communities 1/ Middle East Welfare experience has shown plainly however that staff services for camps are at least as important as line operations in camps. The cardi­ nal importance of overall commu.nity planning and management has stood out with special clarity in the fields of supply, personnel, and organization. · 1. Supply One of the things most needed v.as careful planning of supplies. For basic necessities, such as clothing, the welfare staff was ·an obvious interpreter of the people's need. The $rune was true of tools and materials for handi­ crafts, needlework, and similar activities. For such vrelfare supplies as would provide light for recreation rooms, classrooms, and reading rooms, warmth for hospitals, reading and wri~ing material for schools, and play equipm~nt for nurseries and kindergartens, a procurement channel needed to be opened up, if the · camps were not to remain dependent on generous but inade­ quate charitable gifts. Canteens had to concentrate on selling local produce, so long as no requisitions for canteen supplies . reached headquarters.

2. Personnel Another thing that was much needed was the planning of personnel so as to make sure that there should be an adequate _number of salaried professional welfare workers to attend to such services as equitable. distribution of basic necessities, self-government, information and counselling, child wel­ fare and education, work , and recreation. A higher priority also needed to be given to certain of these services than to others, in case all the ,welfare ·workers that wore needed wore not avo.ile.blc at once; a priority could be given, for example, to those services that would help refugees contribute to the rehabilitation of their c ountries after their return.

3. Organization To assure adequate consideration for the needs of the residents of these camps, it would have been necessary to place responsibility for their. care on the chief of a mission dedicated to this i,pecial purpose. The management of each ca.mp could have been entrusted to a civilian official responsible only to UNRBA, provided that a de qua te liaison vms mainto.ined with the mili­ tary on whose goodwill the camp depended for many of its supplies. It would also have been useful t ·o have a clear definition of responsibility between the .Camps Division, with its s'pecial responsibility for housekeeping ser­ yices, and the Welfare Division, with its special skill in giving a. . break to the unfortunate, stimulating the participation of-.the greatest possibh=l

The most complete account is to be found in a. Summary· ,report of opE;ira­ tions of UNRBA Middlt:: East camps up to 31 l)ecember 1945, pre.pared at · Cairo. -4- number in the active life of the corrnn.unity, and heightening the more.le of the whole group by showing proper consideration for its members.

II. GENERAL DEVELOPMENT OF MIDDLE EAST ~PS A• The Ca.mp Residents

After the German occupation of Eastern a.nd Southeastern Europe, some 100,000 war victims found their way to the Middle East• Of these, most of the Poles passed through Iran and were then dispersed into a number of camps in Africa, India., and other countries, which were, for the most part, financed and ad­ ministered by Polish a.uthori ties. The Greek refugees ca.me for the most part from the islands of the Aegean and traveled by rail through Turkey to the Levant., where some supported themselves with some a.id from their government., but where many thousands needed to be provided for by the Allies. Yugoslavs evacuated by the military from the Croat littoral began to arrive in January 1944. The original problem was therefore one concerning Poles and Greeks; and, since the Poles, for the most pa.rt, looked after their own refugees, the biggest problem, up to the end of 1943, was that of the Greek refugees, Only in 1944 did provision have to be made for Yugoslav evacuees.

At the height of UNRRA operation (31 December 1944) the Middle Ea.st camps sheltered some 40,000 persons, of whom half were under 18., one third were women, and one sixth were men. Of the women., between 10% a.nd 25% were classed as "employed", and, of the men, between 50% and 75'fo . At this date, about one third of the r esidents in the camps were Greeks who had evacuated themselves from the islands, vrhich two-thirds were Yugoslavs who had been evacuated by the authorities.

B. Administrative Agencies

When the Middle Ea.st was cut off from the Atlantic by Italian control of the Mediterranean from June 1940 to September 1943, the Suez Canal zone became a. very important base of British operations, and one in which the British government was interested in preventing Allied refugees in the Middle East from becoming a source of friction with the Arab countries. Arrangements were therefore worked out by which, from June 1942, the British military assumed certain responsibilities such as supply, security, and general ad­ ministrativ~ management of the most important of the Greek camps and, beginning in January 1944, of the Yugoslav camps. Insofar as the r efugee governments were unable to meet the cost of these camps, a .British civilian agency •was set up to do so, and also to. handle the more political aspects of the r efugee problem. This was the Middle East Relief and Refugee Administration (MERRA), with a staff of seven pe.rsons headed by Willie.m Matthews (later Sir William Matthews, and formerly assist- . ant to Sir George Re id in the management of the British National Assistance Board). MERRA acted for the British Minister of State resident in the Middle Ea.st, in all matters concerning relief and refugees. -5-

MERRA's relationship with the camps was a dual one. So far as tho.se camps were concerned for which the British military had assumed· some responsibil­ ity, MERRA has some influence ove'r their general admirilstration and fi1.:1anc­ ing. So far, however, as the Polish camps .were concerned, MERRA had only~ ve ry genora.l and somewhat :vague power of .supervision of which it made +ittle use,

When UNRRA took over MERRA's responsibilities, this distinction persisted. For most of the Greek, and later for all of the Yugoslav camps, UNRRA assumed administro.tive and financial responsibility,• any supplies pr-0cured for these co.rnps by the British mili to.ry-being regarded as part of the United Kingdom contribution to UNRRA. Over all of the Polish and the' remain­ der of the Greek refugoos, UNRRA obtained merely the right of supervision without any , yery clea r . obligations, oxcept providing for their repatriation.

Although dependant on United Nations governments for such basic necessities as shelter, food, and clothing, the refugees in the Middle Ea.st camps were able also to draw to some extent on other sources of foreign aid. Many of these Greeks obtained spending money from emigrants in the Americas, while some school supplies and a few social workers were available from among their compatriots in Egypt. The Yugoslavs ·did not possess such easily mobil• izable sources of aid; but at the beginning of 1945 a check for $57,000 was given to UNRRA by the United Yugoslav Relief Fund of America; of this gift, 40% vras to be used for vocational, 30% for educational, and 30% for . recrea- tional supplies. ·

From the legal point of view these refugees ca.me under the law of Egypt, Palestine, or Syria, according to the location of the camp. This imposed certain limitations on the disciplinary powers vested in the camp management. The refugees were allowod to live in these countries only on condition that they should not settle there; and those who lived in Egyptian territory were not permitted to move freely outside camp limit~. The law therefore imposed first ori MERRA . and later on UNRRA a strong re-sp.onsibility towards the govern­ ment that granted asylum, while tying its hands and obliging it to manage and control refugees by pe.rsua.sion, rather than, by military discipline and penalties. · C, Location and Accommodation

When the situation became static . in 1944, the geogt'aphica.l distribu~ion of the camps was as follows: the large semi-permanent camps were ·1ocated in the Sinai Desert, two of them on Egyptian territory, one to the east of the Suez Canal (El Shatt) and the other on the Gulf of Suez (Moses Wells), and one of them on the Mediterranean coast on Fa.lestinia.n territory (Nus eira.t). Of these, Nuseirat and Moses Wells were for Greek~ and El Shatt f9r Yugo.:. slavs. Outside of the Sinai Desert with its semi-permanent camps, were a. number of transit camps on the principal transportation routes ~o Sinai. For Yugoslavs who ca.me by sea and then by rail, the tra.nsi t stations were at Tolumbat near Alexandria and Kha.ta.tba between there and Cairo. All the ref-· ugee camps were easy of access by rail or water but not- by road. -6-

Each semi-permanent ca.mp consisted partly of more or less permanent build­ ings and partly of tents. In most ca.~ps tl,le tents were of the "English · Personnel Indian Pattern" (EPIP) type capable of holding approximately ten persons and offering good protection against the sun, but' not againstI the wind. In other camps the predominant type of tent was the marque~ capable of holding twenty persons. The EPIP tent lent itself to the housing of one family group in a tent,,while the marquee type necessitated the partitioning of the .tent so that one family group could occupy ea.oh end.

n. Phases in the Development of Camp Welfare Services

1. British responsibility (June 1942-April 1944).

During this phase responsibility was assumed by MERRA and the British mili­ tary with such help as they could get from British and other voluntary agencies.

All the refugee camps were originally intended as transit camps. By the latter part of 1943, however, it became apparent to the Greek refugees that their islands would. a.gain be liberated, a.n.d perhaps ~n the near future, so that it became pointless for them to move further a.field. '!That had origin­ ally been intended as transit camps therefore developed suddenly and unex­ pectedly into .semi--ponnanent camps vd.th a static population in need' for the first time of welfare activities. It was therefore natural that although tho camps originated in the middle of 1942, the welfare problem in the camps did not attract attention until the winter of 1943-44.

2. UNRRA Balkan Miss ion reliance on voluntary agencies (May­ August 1944).

During this phase UNRRA took over the administrative and financial responsi­ bility in the camps, al though .it tended to _re.ta.in the British mili ta.ry com­ rnandants of the camps and to r _. emain dependent on · trie military for such limited supplies as were available. The We I fare Di vis ion, like the other functional divisions at Cairo, was primarily concerned with preparation for liberation of the Balkans.

From this preparation the camps benefited to some sna.11 extent. In particu­ lar, the number of voluntary personnel ava.ila_ble for work in the camps ex­ panded considerably, crNing, to the partial s~ccess of MERRA in recruiting tearas of voluntary workers through the medium of the Cairo Council of Volun­ tary Societies for service with t4e military in the Balkan countries. These units, or part of them, became available for a combina.ti~n of work a.nd train­ ing in the camps, while a.wa.i ting mobilization prior to e!-1t17 with the Allied military into Greece and· Yugoslavia. , The _nu)'llbor of voluntary agency person­ nel working with UNRRA in the ca..~ps totalled ~21_ in ~he week endi~g -19 August 1944, although more of th~se were .eng&ged in health than in welfare work. At the same time a small number of persons on .the UNRRA Welfare Division staff ·who were attached to the Balkan Mission be.came available for observa­ tion visits to the camps, one at which resulted in an important and sugges­ tive report on Nuseirat. -7-

The chief impression ma.de upon .. the UNRRA welfare staff when they first visited these camps in June a.nd July was not thE3 shortage of personnel so much a.s the extreme shortage o.f supplies of all kinds, including welfare sup­ plies. Harry Gre·enstein, Deputy Director of the Welf.Are Divis ion, said in his first report from Cairo, "There is an a.cute shortage of clothing, also necessary supplies and equipment to car.ry on an adequate work program in the 11 camps. ( June and July 1944) • ,.

During this phase semi-industrial supplies were therefore requested for occupational activities; but no channel was opened for such welfare supplies a.s would provide light ip tents-, warm.th in hospi ta.ls, or play material for nurseries and kindergartens; and the need for winter plothing was not fore­ seen adequatel;y. or in time • .

3. · UWRRA Balkan Mission recruitment of welfare workers (September 1944-March 1945).

The sudden mobilization of the voluntary agency units at the end of August in readiness for the military operation in the Balkans attracted attention to the personnel aspects of the welfare problem in the camps, although the supply problem still took.first .place. On 4 Septem9e~ 1944, Harry Greenstein wrote from the Balkan Mission headquarters to Fred Daniels, Deputy Director of the Welfare Division at Washington enclosing a supplementary budget dated 29 August 1944, and saying: 11}.:s a result ·or visits made to different camps, a.nd a study of their welfare needs, it is apparent that a s~bll nucleus of qualified welfare personnel is required in both the Cairo office and in the camps. It is highly desirable that this personnel be on the UNRRA Adminis­ tration payroll in order to provide continuity a.nd to en;rnre that ·the work­ ers will not be subject to withdrawal while .stil,l needed. It is therefore requested that you establish in the -WeHare Division .budget for welfare ser­ vices for the Middle Eastern camps the- f'ollowing pos.i tions:

"One Director of Welfare for camps, $5000 _budget line.

"Six Chief Camp Welfare Officers on the $4500 budget line to be in charge of welfare services i~ the· following camps:, Aleppo, El Shatt, Khatl:l,tba., Moses Wells, Nuseirat, a.nd Tolumbat. 11 A beginning in this dir~c;ti~~ was made whc.i'n Major Ha.nsi Pollak, a. South African woman, was recruited at Cair_b as Welfare director for refugee camps (14 -October 1944). A child welfare specialist wa·s assigned to the develop­ ment of the cump nursery schools. By tho end of the year chief welfare officers had arrived o.t tvro of the principal camps -- Nuseirat and Moses Wells -- and the other chief camp welfare officers ho.d been recruited, ulthough they ho.d not y ot urri ved. This was therefore a phase in which the need for pe rmanent welfare personnel was clearly recognized and was being gradually -- but not yet fully -- met. Meanwhile some voluntary agency personnel wa.s sti 11 av·ailable, though not in as great numbers a.s during the sununer of 1944; they numbered 42 the la.st week of February 1945. Above a.11, in March and April 1945, civilian directors were substituted for military commandants. In spite of the many difficulties inherited from previous

I - -

-8-

phases I this phase became one of growing cm siderati on for the feelings· of the residents and in?re_asing success in stimulating their cooperation with the management • .

4. UNRRA .Middle East Mission repatriation of camp residents (April 1945 o;:l) .

Increasing _adequacy of transportation makes it easier not only to get sup­ plies and personnel to the Middle East camps, but also to repatriate their residents as soon after liberation as relief supplies begin to arrive in their countries. The completion of the process of splitting-up the Balkan Mission into Greek, Yugoslav, Albanian, and Middle East Missions, thus co­ incides with the initiation of repatriation; and a distinct Middle East Mission, which might at ·an earlier date have proved useful in managing the camps, now becomes responsible for their liquidation. · ·

The return of these displaced United Nations civilians to their own coun­ tries i.s a responsibility which UNRRA began to discharge with the return of 1500 Greeks and 1300 Yugoslavs in April 1945. As the 40,000 Greeks and Yugoslavs move out, it becomes possible for their semi-permanent camps to revert once more into transit camps, through which .Polish refugees in the Middle East can pass on their way home or to other countries. ·

In preparation for this movement, many plans and e.rre.ngements have had to be made. Repatriation priorities have been given to agriculturalists, fisher­ men, and government officials. Brea&ninners are accompanied by their fam­ ilies. Each repatrie.te may ta.ke with him one year's clothing, four blankets, one palliasse, ten days' rations, and 180 pounds of personal baggage which

often includes household utens :ils, many of which are camp-made from tin c0:ns 1 and much of which is packed in chests made nt camp from packing-cases. Each "flight" of 1000 repatriates is normally accompanied by an UNRRA team of some 10 or 12 persons, including a lender, health v,-orkers (a doctor, two nurses), movement, tro.nsport, and supply officers, and one or more welfare workers -- more than one if the flight consists :almost entirely of women and children. For that minority of refugees· that cannot be repatriated, either because they are stateless or bec~use they .are,in mortal fear of discrimina­ tion if they return home, the responsibility for providing temporary relief rests with UNRRA, but the responsibility for permanent rehabilitation has been placed on the Intergovernmental Committee 011 Refugees. -9-

III. GREEK REFUGEE CAMPS

A. Aleppo (Syria') Y,

Locations Former Turkish parracks, 4 kilometers · outs~de Aleppo ' ' ciosed: January 1945 Population: 16 March 1944 ·. 250 . 23 May 1944 1070 31 December 1944 74 Capacity: 19 May . 1944 . 1200

This was essentially a recept,ion station for disinfesta.tion, medical in­ spection, s ecu.rity screening, draftee induction, and civilian registration, Mc:st refugees were moved on within 24 hours; but la.ck of tro.nsporta.tion r e sulted occasionally in their piling up at Aleppo and staying there for a few weeks or months. ·.

An investi,satiq; mission reported in 1943, "Of all the camps we saw, this appeared to be the lee.st attractive and comf_ortab),e , 11

1, · Self-government·: There was no refugee self-government in the camp, although refugees were given the opportunity to voice grievances or dissatisfaotion 1 which was done through interpreters.

2. Child welfare: No special prov1s1on was ma.de in the camp for the care of children. Scnool was held in the morning in a special room with trestle tables and benches under the supervision of a Greek schoolmistress, Books and other school supplies were provided by a local Greek committee. Excursions were held in the afternoon. The re was inadequate direction of children and not all the children attended school, There was no school in the afternoon, and small boys appeared to be a bit of trouble, al though the re was said to be some onl3 who "came in for youth movements", and almost every after.noon the boys were ta.ken out in ~ny army truck for a. rambh.• and no · .- · · · · There was no program for adult education,/vocationaJ tre.in:i.ng for: eitt).~r children or adults,

3. Work: Pocket money was paid; and additional mqney could be _earned doing ocfc:rjobs a.bout the camp; .but·:there was ·no definite policy ,. of ·requiring the performan~e of work by the physically fit..- The ·old men were ·put on jobs a.round the ,camp in the morning, but lay dd,vn in the afternoon because of the heat. It vms said that they had to be closely supervisec;l, or they took every opportunity to g;o to a canteen. A few of the rnen were ·· fully employed and paid., staying on at the camp as cooks or sanitary squad; .one was a cobbler and one a boilerman, Because of the transient nature of the camp opportunities for work projects outside maintenance were strictly limited.

, . . .!/ 'Sources :i.ru:lud.e surv~~- by 1Jl{TIRA Co.;;.ip s DivJsiq.n (lC Ua:r ·. :1 944} :~ -10-

4. Recreation: The local Greek Committee, under the chairmanship of the Greek consul, took an interest in the camp. _No special provisions were mo.de for recreation or leisure time acti vii;;ies in the ca.mp, because of the transient nature of the population. In the cool of the evenings men played football and handball which wore ver·y popular. Women engaged in household tasks such as sowing,' washing clothes· or helping in the kitchens . The town v.ras nearby, vnth shops, cinema, e~c., to which tho refugees could go at any time. Many refu~ces brought out quite large sums in the form of promisory notes, sums as largo as :blOOO being not unusual, which were kept by tho AQministration.

B. Moses Wells (Egypt) 2/

Opened: April 1942 Location: On the bay of Suez, 25 ·kilometers Southeast of the c-i ty of Suez; on a site· pI'eviously used for a Quar­ antine station for pilgrims return­ i,n,g from Mecca . Accommodation: Permanent buildings~ and marquees with concrete floor·s and beds. Water Supply: By ship from Suez. Transportation: By barge to the · camp dock. ·· Pop1Jlation 18 January 1944 2033 16 .March .1944 1850 Easter 1944 2729 ' 23 .May 1944 2.849 17 November 1944 3173· 31 December 1944 3252 Capacity: May 1944 5000

Tht~ was originally a transit camp for Greek islanders on their way from Aleppo to permanent living-places further south. They were therefore already thoroughly investigated, disinfested and registered, before reach- ing Moses Wells . ·

During the summer of 1943 the turn in the tide of the war made it difficult to persuade refugees to continue their journey southward. The · character of the camp therefqre changed; and as soon as the heat of summ~r was past the staff began 'to _adapt their management of the camp to mee.t the needs of semi­ permanent residents. In particular, they had to devise means of keeping the residents -- both children and adu1ts -- _more fully occupied. i;he f{rst steps in this direction were taken dur}ng thew.inter 1943-44, before UNRAA assumed res_ponsibility. :-

Exceptionally few voluntary agency personnel were se:nt to this camp •.

]/ ,Sources include · reports by Mrs . M. C. Anderson to Greek War Relie f (18 January and Easter Day 1944); ·nutritional survey by ill'JRRA Health Division in .Cairo (23 November 1944); . and periodic ·gen- eral reports by the UNRRA Balkan Mission and its We lfare Division. ··• -11- 1 •. Distribution of basic necessities:

(a) Food: This was based on British Army. rations, slightly modified so as to provide more milk for children and less weight for women. These rations contained less bread and more of other things than had been usual in Greece. Food was cooked in• central kitchens and was originally served in central dining halls; but the rule that it should be eaten there broke d~vn, and people carried it to their tents. Cemp rations were supple­ mented by considerable purchases from the camp canteen, and by fishing in the Gulf of Suez. These practices made it impossible to evaluate the a.mount of nutrients received by individual co.mp members.

Apart from tho distribution of mid-morning milk or cocoa to school children, no o.rro.ngemcnts seem to ho.ve boon made for supplementing the diet of stress­ groups with vito.mins and minerals.

(b) Clothing: In the winter of 1943-44 this was contributed mainly through the American Red Cross, but partly also through the Greek , Australian, British, and Canadian Red Cross societies. Distribution accord­ ing to need was abandoned in 1943 as being less practicable than a general issue of standard articles.

2. Self-government: This camp had little or no self-government; but the management tried to stimulate the formation of a residents' commit­ toe in each of the three sections into which the camp was divided.

3. Information, Advice and Counselling: While the camp was under MERRA , the second in command -- a British Army captain -- acted as the refugees I link with the outside world, handling their cables, bank drafts, and money orders. This involved translation, condensation, and receipting of cables, and also the forwarding of money when part of the family for whom it was destined was not in this camp. Arrangements were also made for writ­ ing letters for illiterates. Several Greek girls and v10men helped in this v,ork. ·

He also acted as the residents' adviser and counsellor in such matters as domestic relations, claims to war compensation for loss of husband or child, tracing of relatives overseas, sending · of Red Cross messages to relatives in Greece , and settlement of intra-camp-disputes.

For these purposes he kept regular office hours from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. each wock day.

When UNRRA assumed responsibility, a representative of the Greek War Relief Association relieved the Army Welfare officer of responsibility for handling mail and money remittances and he:\,ping trace missing rela_tives.

4. Child welfare and education: One of the dining halls was used a.s a. school, at first only of o. morning, but later also of an aftern9on. It ·attracted 500 children between the ages of 6 and 14 by the beginning of ·-.. 1944. It was taught by tvm refugees who had previously been teaqhe'rs, · . ' -12- helped by a steadily increasing number of other refugees. Some Greek teach­ ers from Cairo taught in this camp school during their summer vacati,on. Books and equipment were donated by Greek societies and schools at Cairo. The official Greek school curriculum for the first six ye~rs was followed as far as possible.

A playground was set up for children., with swings., slides and seesaws. There was also a football ground, Children had plenty of opportunity to wade in the Gulf and fish with improvised nets. They vrere also free to keep pets., such as chickens., . kittens, and puppies•

5. Works In the early days of this camp, a low level of employ- ment v:as held responsible for refugees having nothing better to do than com­ plain a.bout food., while others cut up ca.mp 'blankets and camp sheets to make clothes., although plenty of readymade clothes were available in the camp store. This situation was then said to be aggravated by lack of leadership . among the refugees, lack of adequate _tools, and the ha.bit of regarding this as a transit camp,

A considerable increase in employment occurred between September 1943, when only 10% were reckoned to be employed, and J~nuary 1944, when employment rose to 20%, at which figure it rer.iained at the end of the year. The camp sewing­ rooms in January 1944 were completing 1330 ge.rments each month, Pullovers were knitted for the Greek Red Cross. The Princess Frederika Fund donated r.w.terials for embroidery and paid the embroidererD,but the scope of this enterprise was limited by the poor eye-sight of the older women, and you~er ones' ignorance of embroidery, Cobblers working on a private enterprise basis transforu.e

At first all cooking and kitchen work was done by Arabs; but early in 1944 Greek cooks were found, and the food was h_enceforward nore to the taste' of the refugees. Dishwashing was originally centralized and was done by hired Arab labor; later, the refugees were allov,ed to keep their own plates and cutlery in their tents and wash then themselves,

The wages paid to residents working in the camp varied, but averaged $2.00 (50 piastres) a week, An inportant vocational training progran was carried through by an Athens­ trained nurse sent in by Greek War Relief• In the first seven r,10µths alone (March-September 1943), she trained sixty refugee girls as "e~ergency fiurses". These girls dicl nost of the nursing in this ~nd other Greek ·re'fu­ gee camps.

6, Recreation: Little interest was· shown in organize'd games. People anused themselves on the seashore; they bathed in the 'Gulf; and at sunset they strolled on the long pier. To have something green fn the· desert, almost every tent was said to have carrot tops grmving in shallow tins filled with water. -13-

A men's coffeeshop was operated by the officer s,econd-iµ-comm.and, and also a. canteen for the sale of cookies, cand·y, toilet articles, and condiments. The profit paid the wages of the refugees i.vho worked in the canteen; it met tho overhead cost of the co.rpcntering shops; it financed the purchase of a radio and loud-speaker for the recreation center; it covered the incidental expenses of the info:nna.tion and coun.selling services; and it pa.id for a few adcli tional dieta:ry items such as 'ga:rlic and tomatoes.

Each adult refugee who was unable to work received a weekly spe~ding allow­ ance of 60/ (15 piastres), plus 201, (5 piastres ) per child.

A mobile cinema visited the cu.mp · once a__ week, charging for admission. Army units and Red Cross concert po.rtie~ soinotimes provided enterto.imnent ~- Twice a wook a British Army Canal Arca Welfare Unit toc..-car visited the camp to distribute free tea and to play music.

!:nglish ·classes for- school t ·eachers a.'nd clerks were conducted by a Greek 1,lfar Roliof Association representative in _the spring of 1944.

Religious rites were performed by a Greek priest. Easter rites were care­ fully planned by the military welfare officer, and eggs and candles vvere plentiful. '.I'he chapel seated only 50; but a. lar.&e dining hall was available.

:Mora.le was said to be high~

c. IWSEIRAT (Palestine) l/

Locution: On the windiwept Medi terro.neo.n coast; 10 kilometers south of Gaza , in :what had been o. group of Austr~liab. army camps until the beginning of 1944, with an Are.h_ settlement locat~d in _the m;i.ddle of the group of

camps I so that depredation/3 and sanitation were ha.:r:d to control. Accommodation: Permanent structures were used for Sltch purposes as administration buildings,'. cinemas, kitchens, chapels and schools. · The housi~g. of the refugees was origin­ ally in EPIP tents, ti.vo families to· the tent; but an increasing proportion were housed in permanent huts, especially after a storm in November 1944 destroyed many tents, priority in accommodation in permanent huts being given to mothers· vrith young; children. Capacity: At the beginning · of 1944 this was 9'500, made up of 500 in the Re c~pti on Centre , 4000 each in tho .North and South Car..ps; and 1000 in a former army c~nvales.:. cent camp called Con Ca.-np. · Capacity was increased to about 12 ,ooo in tho summer of 1944, assuming consid­ erablo uso of .tho tents -as well as• huts. Next to El Shatt, this ,vo.s UNRR.A 's lo.rgcst group 0f cru:1.ps·. ·

ysourcos: SurveJ by UHRRA, Uo.y 10, 1944; r eport by Greek :;'far Rolicf, Me.Jr 1944; report to UNRRA Welfare Division by G.Leet, J .Dula, and E .nahlberg, July 1944; Nuaeirat Canp Information Bulletins1especially 3 June and 7 Aug~st 1944; re­ ports by Carolin F'lexner, Feb. and 4pril 1945; reports on nutrition (see next page). -14-

Population: 16 March 1944 8250 · 23 May 1944 : 9050 . ...~- -, 1 .r. · . r,. . ::· 3·1: December· 1~44 8258

The ' tlUmber of volunte.ry agency personnel serit: to Nuseirat ·to g~t- experi&nce ros~ during 1944 .:Crom 15 in Ma·rch to 30 .in May and° 80 in )ugust, some but not all of whom were in "relief and refugee units'" whose ' prime concern was welfare rather than health. During these months the most constant element among them was a Friends Ambulance Unit team whose leader initiated impor­ tant work in organizing clothing distribution, the information office, tent­ visiting, and occupational projects. vToat was needed of an UNRRA welfare specialist was therefore to give brooder scope and greater assurance of per­ manence to a welfare program that had alrea.dy, been well begun. · At the beginning of July, three we,lfare members of UNRRA' s. Greek Mission Glenn Leet, John D-tla, and Edgar Wahherg -- visited Nuseira.t for a fort­ night and reported on · conditions there, summing up the general course of development of welfare services in such a camp in a few interesting senten­ ces:

"The responsibilities of Nuseirat 1 s welfare department -- and this may be true of a welfare operation in liberated Greece --· have tended to progress from full responstbilities to narrower on0s. For example, the welfare de­ partment has been in a position of developing many services which are nov; s0parate from it, or abs orbed into other departme·nts to which they are more closuly affiliated, i,o,, camp works or na.intenunce; now under administra­ tion; baby centres, now under the heal th department; kindergarten and schools, · now · under the education department; labour exchange, now a separate service. At the time of this visit, the welfare department was responsible for the following activities 2 occupation; recreation; study (a'dult education pro• grams); information and advice centres; clothing distribution; publishing a ·newspaper; and tent or family visiting,"

The camp commandant reacted to this survey by ·ur'gently requesting the Balkan ,Mission welfare director to send some trained we1fare workers to carry out its recommendations. He wrote: "As soon as the medical branch of UNRRA was set up and commenced functioning, we felt the effect in this camp, and we~e helped in many of our worries and troubles, If practical results did not materialize, at once, we had sound advice and promises, many of whioh have already been fulfilled, Now that the welfare bro.'nch is functioning, I feel and hope that we shall benefit in the same way • • •• Is .it not possible to have some one here to head our Welfare Branch who has had some real traini:ng in this work? A~er all, we have Colonel Dodge on the medical side. If we do not have some one of an equal status in vrelfare, that branch is bound to sink below the medical, This would apply to all camps." (H• Vredenburg to H. Greenstein, 28 July 1944).

Towards the end of 1944, an experienced welfare administraior was sent to

1/(Cont'd from previous page): by Frances Floore, 20 March1Bl'.ld5 April 1945; - report on civilianization by p. Edwards, 4 May 1945. -15-

Nuseirat; and after·. some four mohths' · experience in· this capacity he was promoted to be camp dire.ct or· when the ·carrip was ' ci vilianized on 1 April 1945, Among the far-reaching reforms that accompanied this changeover, :wa,s the thoroughgoing introduction ·of se1f-gover:nment, the taking of the resi­ dents into the director 1 -s conf:id•ence•, tl:lte organization of a civil guard, the establishment of friendly relations wi-th the local community, and · an extensive development of child wel.fare, U'nder the civilian camp director there were now: t ·o be two associate managers -- one for operations and one for community and famiiy services~ The latter had_under him a community service officer, . a -· canteen manager,' a baby-centre officer, three general welfare officers, tvio sub-camp supervisors, two case vrnrkers, a medical social worker, and an cduca.tiori officer and three other activitios' off'.icers. Of these, two were loaned·· by voluntary agencies and tvrn were retained from tho .military.

1, Distribution of Basic Necessities (a) Food, When UNRRA to~k over the camp, it found that the dining halls could not be · us•ed because they had no tables or chairs; the refugees therefore ate in their tents and huts, which they preferred. They a.lso cooked additional .food in their tents,· In Con Camp, however, residents ' allowed their children to eat iri' a special dining-hall reserved for. school children, where they were assu·red of especially adequate s~pply of pr'ope~ food.

Food arrived unevenly, and storage facili tfos wero inadequate, so that a weok' s v-egetables might have to be eaten in a single ·day. The resui_t was : .· apt to be a monotonous diet of rice and· II1a.carorii for the · rest of the week,

nnd an attempt by the resident~. I to supplement. . it by buyi_ng fresh fruit and . vegetables from local Ar~bs,

Supplementary rations for chi1dren 'and :,others seem to have bee.ti obt?,_ined . by redueing the standard rations for• the camp_ at large. .. . ,

(b) Clothing: Done.'ted oritinally by the American· Re_d, C~o~s, and, to a smaller extent, by the Greek, British,' and Cahadian Re.d Cross Societies, clothing was distributed on a ba~is of need~ In. February 1945, people at Uuseirat were said still to be underclothed,' lacking in blankets, and mv.ny of them without beds or ·pallio.sses. : 'rhis was the coldest, of the UNRRA camps. In outfitting people for their return nome, the dis:t;ribution of clothes was postponed until' a.'fter their inb9ulations had been, :oqmplot1;1d. . ' . ' . ' ~ . • • • I : : , ; ,·: 2. Self-government. Under MERRA, each sub-camp had its .qvvp. five~ member committee to stimulate social gatherings , hear grievances; a:n'd keep · an eye on the distribution of rations. "A room in one of the hut_s . is , Msigned to them, and here they spend most of their time"~ s~id .. b.rie report. Each sub•camp commandant met with· his committee from tim~ ·to time, : but ~id not get much participation from it •. There ,ita.s no central commit~ee ... 'pn .· matters of overall camp administrat'ion ·the major · comnia.'nda.nt confer,re,4'_with the ranking Greek army officer stationed ,8:t .the camp. One sub-camp -~~ Con Camp -- which had been turned over to civiilian volu~ta.'ry agency d.:Lr13·c'j;i.on -16-

in the ~pring of 1944, ~as entrusted to the control of its own residents when the voluntary agenc_y pers,onnel were withdrawn in the autumn.

On 1 April 1945 a .full .measu~e .of camp self-government was introduced. Hencefori.vard every sub-camp ha,d its own president, installed in what had been the office of the sub-ca.mp commandant. In each sub-camp a small court was set up to adjudicate on disputes. Conciliation by the presidents was encouraged, and completely took .. the place of appeal to the authorities. A civil guard was established, . to prot~ct the ca.mp at night: and service in it wo.s ma.de o.ttro.ctive . bJ' additional footwear a.nd a. night tea-sto.nd. A comptroller was chosen · to check. up ~n the finances of the canteen. Residents . . ' ) vrere sent out along with UNRRA 9fficials to observe the prices paid for local produce . Every area. in every sub-camp had its representatives not only on the Central committee but also on functional committees for. welfare, fine.nee, mess, canteen, and hygiene.

3. Inform.a.tion, Advice 1· a:nd ·counselling~ A ca.mp information office and sub-camp information centres were established in ·the spring of 1944. Their functions were defined as: 11 (a) to collect and circulate all avail­ able and necessary information to the refugees; (b) to develop an advice system which will deal vvith persona.l problems as vrell as information; (c) to coordinate the· casework being done by welf~re workers in the .camps; (d) to arrange such facilities as the Red Cross , messa.ge scheme., and legal advice -­ a Greek judge in the camp is willing to advise on legal problems•"· ( Infor­ mation Bulletin, 3 June 1944).

With this was closely connected a. $ystem of family visiting organized by caseworkers sent in by the Greek Red Cross, with an .eye in· the first instance to education in cleanliness• The vrelfare men on UNRRA' .s Greek Mission who visited the camp in the summer of 1944 reported; · "The most interesting recent development in the welfare department in Nuseirat is tent visiting. 'l'he need for some kind of oore personal · contact with refugees in their ovm homes was largely shown by such questions as, why.wasn't the mother bring­ ing her child to 'the baby center? What could be done to overcome the refu­ gees' fee.r of hospitalization? Theref_orc, in .ea.ch .car.1p, visitors were selected fron among the refugees. A visitor was appointed for ea.ch '.1000 persons on a geographical basis, i.e., each visitor has. so many fami1fes in so na.ny tents in each ca.mp. A small salary is paid to each of these visi­ tors. The visito~s work under the immediate supervision of voluntary work­ ers fror.i. the Greek Red Cross. Many of these supervisors are• Greek Egyp­ tians, ma.inly from Alexandr;i.a., and h?,ve been per.forming a. valuable job~ not ·only in connection with tent visiting, but also in health work at the camp. The supervisors already have an advantage in their ability to speak Engli;h as well as Greelc. · · '

"Although the tent visitor started out to secure the cooperation of the refu­ ·~ees in the ' health program, it soon became apparent that there···-were other · problems requiring; i ,ndi viduo.l service, such as the problem .of encouraging children to attend school, the problem of unmet clothing needs, the problem · of worki,!lg out a spe ci£1: l pr,ogro.m. for 'b;ro boys in one fanily, · the ·problem of · scc•i11g if a special program, either within or outside tho CEU!lp, can be devised for o. blind boy of 13. -17-

"Because of the fact that the infonna.tion and advice service, which had developed an excellet1t·' sy_stem of tracing relatives mainly, constituted the core of a program of indivio.ual ·servicing, and since information and advico had been merged with t ·ent visiting functions in the h6spi tal and Ca.mp A, it was recommended _that this integration be continued to avoid duplication and to utilize the excellent machinery that information and advice centers had developed. · The'.. information and advice centres constit,ite · a.n integral po.rt of u socittl s_ervice or individual welfare progro.m."

Among the unmet social welfare needs of Nuseirat, the survey party includeds • "Effective use of Camp A (reception and quarantine centre) as a diagnostic centre for (u.) Social problems, j_ .e ., orphans, tracing relatives, securing infornation, etc,; (b) r:i.edical problems, especially those requiring indi vi d­ ual follow-up by tent or welfr..re visitors•"

4, Child Welfare. When UNRRA took over the ca.mp, the schools were housed in pem.ru.1ont huts in a cent.ral ·1oce.tioi1; but they were later decen­ tralized so that there should be schools in each sub-canp. In the Spring of .1944 the schools were attended by more than 1600 children; but, they did not have enough teachers, books, space or equip::nent. La.ck of equipment made it practically impossible to organize vocational or craftsnanship classes. Milk, bathing, and haircutting were ,anong the school welfare ser­ vices.

More than 100 boys joined a scout ~ropr,j and some attempt vra.s made to organ­ ize other club groups. This was delayed however by shortage of competent staff and the multitude of other matters that' demanded prior attention, Groups of school children were sent during the sur:u:ner to a vacation cruap run .by a. Greek monastery near Bethlehe1!l.

An earn-learn progran ·was introduced in April 1945 on behalf of young per­ sons 13-17. Employment for vrages was na.de conditional on attendance at a pf:l.rt-time school, unless the young person had cor.i.pleted the equivalent of six years of elementary education. An attempt was made to get then out of dead-end jobs an

A special 11 boys I canp" was developed., "to ca:re for boys ,vho had no family affiliations, and for boys .who, for one reason or.

A number of sno.ll'kindergo.rtens was gradually esto.blished, so tho.t eo.ch sub-co.np ho.d o.t loo.st one. Ludy MncM~cho.el , wife of tho High Comnissioner for Pnlestino, contributcd·: toys,,grunes, work sots, o.nd dolls. The camp con­ ?!lD.ndo.nt wo.s interested; but only o. . sI)l0.11 number of children wo.s provided for.

In each ca.r:1p there were some baby centres with one roon in which babies could be' bathed and another ·in· which ; th~y could get orange juice, cereal, or thc.i:z: ration of cann·ed milk, which might have·- spoiled had they been dis­ tributed among the mothers for tent use • .Rice pudding and milk were offered to pregnant wonen in order to attract. i:;hcm to the centres. Each centre had eight }:lelpers, for whom, as vrell f:!.S for tent .visitors, a training course w·as given.

A residential nursery or "children• s barracks" was· opened· early in 1945, so as ·to ca.re for children while their mothers were sick in hospital and for a few days before and afterwards.

5 • Work . Residents at Nuseirat were not compeiled to work; and the proportion of residents that ,·.re re classed as employed vra's'· lower at Nuseirat than at either Moses Wells· or El Sha-t;_t.~

Consumer enterprises such as shoemaking were .ope~te~ by individual refu­ gees except insofar as a supply of British army, leather·. inB:cl.e it possible to open a central camp shoe-repair shop. Oµtwo:rk "was· allowed, spinning and knitting being put out among camp women by (}aza· entr:eprene,:irs when supplies were available. Fishing in the heavy sea o.r''the Mediterraneun was not possible, owing to inability to ·purchase two . sufficiently strong boats. A sponge-fishing coopero.tive was organized in 1944 o.nd built' its ovm snilboe.t; it hoped to continue its worl~ after. .its membel'.'s r~_turne·d to the Dodecanese. Gardening vras possible in certain seasons·; ·there _,vas an incre'aiing number of small community vegetable gardens ; and a number of Gre~ks had small plots under cultivation near their tents throughout the camp.· · - '. . - . ' . '·~ .•· Lack of supplie~ made occupational activities extremely.precarious. At the end of July the mrnRA survey party reported: "The worksh6p·s-; . ·consisting of co.rpentry, metal workint::;, shoe repa.iriJ:-1..g, sandal making, _sewing , knitting., spinning, enbroide!Jr, r~g r.m.kihg and brick-manufnc_turfog;, a.i-e ·almost entirely managed by Greeks under the supervision of vo'iunto.ry 'agency workers. Much ingenuity is shown in the products salvaged from th~ c{~p.. For example, the log posts fro1:i. some abandoned latrine,s a.re . savm into strips of lumber a.nd made into school bc,nches. Tin :cans are flatte'ne_d and made ' into filing -19-,.

cabinets_ or used in the baby centres. Old. tires ,a.re cut into soles for sandals; the tops ·of same old;..styltDd high womep' s sh.o~f a.re · st.ripped, dyed, and used for ·straps on sandals• The main h;;,.ndicap" is . a. shortag~ ·of mate- · rialsJ lumber; leather; wool bolt goods and needle thread for · diessmo.king. • More tools, especially saws, are also needed."

Nevertheless at the beginning of August the camp nevrs sheot reported·: "A gloomy picture is presented by the pooplo in charge of occupations. Tho luck of supplies of various kinds has brought mo.ny types of work tp a stand­ still. Shirtn arc still being produced; but there a.re .no bnti;;"ons to sow on·, them. · Spinning has stoppod completely for lack: of raw material.· Shoomakors in Con Ca.mp have no leather. or nails. ·Pins~ machirio noodles, thread, and machine oil a.re also wanting. Brick-me.king continues at a brisk pace, how­ cv0r,. five tons' of bricks being the a.vcrngo daily output. · Those bricks have boon us_e d successfully to di vido tho 1o.rgor . classrooms_ in' the school -into 'b!ro classes." · ·(Information Bulletin, August °i'944). _·. · ·

To co.rry on those various uctivitics', WJRRA made loca..1 purchases of, salvage tires, oll 'drums, lo.rgo •containers, tin co.ns, and runmuni ti on bdxos; o.nd some tools were purchased from El Shatt •

.By 1845, sewing machines a.nd some tools were available; but :ma.teria.ls were so scarce that the shoe shops had to be closed. .,. ... An enployrn.ent exchange vms operated in the $rune building e.s the central registration office.

The survey party in mid-1944 adduced strong arguments for a further develop~ ment of occupational e.cti vities a.t Nuseirn.t: ":Occupn.tionn.l o~ work projects, in addition to producing goods or servic~s· v~luable to the conmunity, have the follmving important purposes: (a) occupying the refugees' leisure time, (b) keeping the refugees' occupational skills alive: (c) traini!1g the refu­ gee vocationally. It is obvious, therefore,, the,t such pz:ojects are separate in character from a camp works program vrhore the objective·· is primarily maintenance and the development of fa,cilities •"

6. Recreation. Canteens for the sale of cigarettes, tobacco, cp.ndy, ra·zor blades, und toilet a.rticles, were _operated originally by a local c'Ortcessionnirc and 1n. ter by UNRPA, and· were used mainly by· thd. men . They _served as recreation hulls. Thero vro.s a. -large cinema which wo.s also · qpcro.tcd originally by 1.1.n outside concos~iona.irq. 'l'his was· sometimes used for concerts given ·by the refugees .• Ea:ch sub"."camp had _a. small church, ·which the refi..\ge~·s. decora. ted and for which. they organized choirs. ·

l'' ,' : • ~ , 1 • : • · , ' Of profits from the canteen and ·cinena; sane ~00 was allocated,for welfare purposes ii:;t April 1945. The principal beneficiaries were the workshops, . sewing ro9ms, · gard~n/baby. centre:~, ·· and scl.i.ools., ·Grants were ~ls·o mad.e for gener&l ,-welf~rc , ue dical _w-crifnre, · recreo.ti on., and· the North ·o.nd- South·_" camp cor.unittees. ,· · • ·· · . -20-

The Bri'!,ish Qouncil es·~a.blish~d a '. ~entre··:rot the'. tea..ching of ·English and the disseraino. tion of British. publicutions. In 1945 this wus · converted ·i1'l.to u ·communii;y _Ccn~·re vy-ith clubroorl1~ _tlnd 'classr·o~ms .under G·rcok direc- tion. · · · 1

Adult cduco.tion clnsses were mo.inly ~or tho_ to~ching of el~nentnry subjects.

!V. THE YUGOSLAV Cli.MPS

. The Yugosio.vs moved _into the ·Levant _at o. muc,h 1a~-~r st£>.ge in the vmr than th9 Greeks ari~ othe r refugees_. -Wn.o."t .is :r.iore, they did not trickle in as ·i ndividuals or :\.n °family group~, ._b.ut wore '.transported as part of an organ- . 1z.qcl mass · 1:1.ovor,1e11~. They wcrf:/ cvo.cuoos rather than re~'ugocs. Most. of then · ·were · Ronan Catholic Croats· evacua tod from the· Dalnia tia.n li,ttoral by tho AHiod nilitary, oi'thcr at the re.quest of the Yugoslav Natfona'l Liberation Mo vcnent, or in order to rcmovo them fron what was expected to become _the :foeno of 'Allicd nilitary opo>:-ations. Most .of thcm ·woro sent to 0 El Shatt; ·but ·a certain tiubbor wore sent to a small seaside oa.t1p at Tolunba'.t, while othe rs wore taken at first to Khata.tba botweon ·Alexandria and Cairo and la.tor t o El ~rish.

A• El Shatt {Egyp'c} Y,

Location: Threo •"! and lo.tor four -- ci;mps, of,, which Co.mp 2 vra.s ea.st of tfte Cuno.l · a.cross_ fron Suoz, whilo Ca.mps 1 o.nd . 3 · (!.nd Hoc.dquarters wore 6 kilometers furthe r north on tho east sid~ of tho Canal. Tho comp \ms approo.chod by rnil ~rom Port So.id •

. •.,•· . ·. Pop'.ulo.tfons 1.6 March 194.4 10,500 i ,, .23 May 1944 18,300 Novcnbo r 1944 21,000 31 _Decor:ibe r 1944 24,793

'Th1s 11 city of .s~n,d'1 · wa·§ .faced with soiile exceptional dif;fioult:i.es • Although • .nost tents had tiled floors,· one car.ip had no flo'ors to its tents• It was 0 renarked "that ·it :v~.as difi''i,.cult to inst!l ·a feeling for . pone in people who slept or sat all day :i'._n, the sand. A good ·· qe_al qf w_ater was used to wet down the sand . in orde,t_:. to.. prevent \6 bl0vying . about, although this· enQ~ur• aged the breeding of f'iies •" There was a grout shortage of fly-fighting ., .. 1 -equipment. It was not 4nusua~ to walk into a teJ?,t, and s~.e a _babJ'j'-. s e.'5- posod fo.ce black with fli.es • ·Fiy· traps ha.d poen ;ingen-iously -de:iv~sed py 1/ Sources'r AFSC repm.•t,· by :H, Wriggins, 20 .Fo~-ruary 19-44;' ·UNRRA rep6rt, ,_ ··· S• K. Jr.cobs_ to _L. Arcqer; ·25 Ma.y_ 1944; AFSCt : iettoll's ·rror.i. w. ·Edgerton, 9 Nover:ibor 1944; UNRF.A report, H. Pollak to H• Greenstein, 12· ja,nuary 1945; .AFSC, letter from W, Edgerton in UNRM Wookly Bulletin, 28 Uo.rch 1945; ACCR, letter i'rom c. Killio.n in Ncwsco.st, April 1945; e.nonymous lotter in UNRRA Weekly Bulletin,21 Mo.rch 1945. -21-

_worksh.C?P artisans; but they soon ran out of. supplies. There wu,s little netting of any kind and no• wire ne-sh· who.'tever. There were no fly swatters, spray guns or spraying .fluid.

Many of th~ Yugos,lav refugees ho.d suffered severely from war conditions · a.nd undernourishment before ooming to the car.:i.p,• . · FCJr thi~ -reasol'l,· and on account also · of their age and ·sex grouping, morbidity was somewho.t high, ubout one person out of every 100 being usually in a hospital~ - • ' In spite of these obstacles, EI Shatt became· ·famous for the exceptional ext'ent to which it.s· res'idents participated in its affairs, giving themselves as .full a lit'e aS" was· possible under the circumstance!;!, and preparing them­ selves to take thei_r place in their home country and their local community after i:heir return.' · ·

1. Distribution of Basic .. Ne·cesstties.

(a) Food: Meals were served in b.ig dining halls of stone or canvas, · one to each otimp block of approxir.1ately · 1000 persons; bttt most refu­ gees took their food home to their tents in tin buckets :inade by the tinshop out. of the tin ·ca.ns in which much of their food came. The dining. halls had cement tables ·and benches; and no effort seems to' ho.ve boen mnde ·to make ·them o.ttractive.

(b) Clothing: The free distribution of clothing at El Shatt v1as organized py the refugees' own c o.tnrni ttees. When• Camp· 3, for example, got an i~sue of> clothing .;._ mainly dono.tcd by tho Amerioo.n o.nd other . Rod Cross societies -- from qunrtornastcr stores, a list -of-goods o.vailo.ble .wo.s turned over to the camp committee. The camp committees then ei.llotted ' clothes to the district canmittees on the basis of need. The district cdm• uittees then conf~rred with the tent leaders and selected the neediest refu­ gees. These refugees then -went to the camp committee where chits were issued for '1vhatever articles each refugee needed. When the· refugee wont to the camp quartermaster store at the proper time, he was fitted out v-rith the aid of an interpreter and several willing junior refugees. In this L1annor the adr:linistration was spa.rod the altl.os't impossible task1 of selecting the ncedie~t refugees, and complaints wore thrashed out by the ·refugoos' own · · ad!:1inistration. At tho boginni'ng of 1945, o. voluntary agency worker des• cribod this technique of democratic · c1othes-distribution as follows: I "In our camp I am responsible for every item of· clothing thu.t comes into our quartcrnastor· yv.rd. I work out plans · for its _distribution jointly with tho clothing representative of the Yugoslav cru:1p co:m.~ittce, acco~ding tb a distribution sco.le sot up by illlJRRA nnd providing certuin iter.i.s of clothing to every age group~ The actual distribution of the clothing is done by th~ clothing committees of the four blocks into which our ce.r.tp of five . 'i:;h'ousand, is subdivided • ., All distribution of UNRRA clothing,; is done accord .. ing to ate groups a,nd i.S recorded on big· sheets listing · the· p·opulation of • each block by se:>( and year of birth. 1 am enclosing · a sample. • Fron these sheets the cloth,ing issues 1;1.re recorded on the. r ·ef'ugees 1 i ·:hdiyidual person- ~ .. :,,, . -22- nel cards, which are kept in our office. Weekly issues since I have l.)een managing clothing distribution have varied from two thousand to.ten thou- sand itoms, averaging five.. .or six thousand." · 2. Self-government. The Yugoslav refugees at El Shatt were unique in that they brought with them· to the camp a well-established pattern of community organization, Thoir fam:Llies wer0 grouped in villages,_ their villages in districts, and the : districts in crunps. For the whole series of cc.mps, there wo.s o. centro.l conimittoo nppointed by ·the Yugoslav ,govp r.n.-rn.ent of no.tione.l libcruti-0n before tho cvi:i.cuo.tion. Each crunp o.lse ho.d its · own · committee, which met wookly.with ' the connnD.ndor of their•crunp. Complo.ints v,rorc chc.nncled through these cor.im.i ttoes. Rogistro.tion priQr to qopo.rturo wc.s cr:.rriod through by thcs0 comrni t~oos cr.rly in 1945 • .

3. Information, Advice, and Counsellin~. There is no evidence of organization:forthese purposes.

4. Child Welfare. When UNRRA took over (May 194'4), schools had been provi,ded i'or 5000 children.· ·-rn comparison with the Greek refugees, however., they suffered from not having a Yugoslav colony in Egypt on whom ·they could draw both for teachers and for supplies of books. The shortage of books was only to a small extent mitigated by s0me purchases made on the local markot by the British Council ~- an o.utonomous agency of the·,British · Foreign Office in .chc1rg0 of cuJ:tura.l relations ... - cmd b'yth~ acquisition of · somo. Allied propn'go.ndo. in tho Serbo,;.Croo.tio..n lungun.ge. Equipmont was very meo.gro; in particular, there vrorc practic<y no .blackboards or other rote­ rials for writing• Tho schools met originally in tho dining•tonts • Ovi'ing to the shortage of vroqd, the seats in some of the school t\3nts were sque.re tin cans filled with concrete. ·

Baby centres were set up by the Save the Children Fund, and were open every norning, They provided an opp.6rtunity to- .bathe a child; consu.lt with a doctor, and get a formula prepared_.

5. Work. It had been agreed between the British z::i~'li ta~y and the Yugoslav govornnent of national li boro.tion tho.t the refugees should work for nothing just as Marshal Ti tots soldiers were figh~ing for_ nothing, and a.lso tho.t o.11 requests for work should .be clea.red by the· 'q!::np ci.dninistro.­ tion with tho Yugoslavs' ccntr~l comittee. It wo.s •impo~sible, however, t o find work for everyone. Everyone received pocket r.10ncy; those. who worko,d v.rcro honored with o.n extra rn ti on of broad ( 4 oz;) ~nd cJ.g::i.rcttoo s (10 o. do.y), and such privileges us visits to art shG':is in·vH).i_qh tho co.mp we.s pa.rticipo.ting. '

An exceptionally wide range of projects "!u~ undertaken, to· nvii°r.it'aj:n and i:r.iprove the camp and equip its residents for their· eventual return -to their homes. Bricks were baked and tents ,·,ere repaired. K:l.-tche1i · paris, serving buckets, plates, mugs, and f orr.mla cups were r:iade fr.om discarded tin cans. Furniture for the offices, schools, o.nd hospital was built fron salvaged lunber o.nd discarded crates. A lie;ht desert shoe wo.s made, with an unravel­ led homp hawser used to :r.1.\ko n bro.idcd s ole, o.nd strips of tent co.nvas used ., -23- .. . ·. . ... I ... : . . . . ' to make ·a top. Mucli .of. \lw _. cloth~ng.:was .made up in •·the camp, Knitting needles and crocliet· hqoks, were ma.9-e , from wire; -and ' many of the camp oarpert_. - ters' tools we_re made by :the ®,mp mE1ta.lworke·rs.

Good soil for gardening was · available across the other side of the Suez Cana~; but ther_e were no mee.nf? · of t;ransporting it tot-he camp.

" ,' 1 . It beo.~me necessary to -d.istr.ibute S'1.lpplemente.ry cl◊-thes and ·soap to kitchen· workers -- wJ10 worked_withc;>,Ut r:emunera.t·ion under particularly dirty and un­ comiorte. ble con di ti ons -- be co.use their O"Nll few · clothes were being ·~ined and because they were obliged to spend their pocket money on extra soap with which to wash themselves· and thoir plothes. In this case, equal treatment proved inequitable~ · r · ··

Raw materials and tools ~ere :-not evenly distributed -between the various camps, since ea.ch camp commandant was left to s cro~nge for _his ca.mp.

nurses' ·training ,~as irltroduced i~ connection with the hospital.

A short course in home nursing and first-aid was given to sev~r..ai hundred women under the auspices of the Yugoslav Central Committee.

6. Recreation •.. Active participati'on in vo.rious fonns of creative art wa.:, as highly deyeloped at El Shatt as . po.rticipation in government and in work.

Two choirs vm.re formed and were o., grco..t suc·oess· both in the camps and out­ side; but they ho.d no instrumental music whntevc·r, since the crunps con­ to.incd nothing except ono bronchial ho.nnonium.. : . ·, : ~ Theo.tor groups were formed in each co.mp~ o.nd sometime~ coop0ratod, They produced several one-act plays, some of which were written by ref'.µg~es ~ , They made all their own costumes e.nd properties · ~tit of was~e m4;terial • ..TvlO stages were available., but no electric iighting; and they ha.d _.no costume,; make-up, theater curtains, sc·enery. or wig_s-. ·

Needlevrnrk, wood carving,' and po.inting made in the· co.nip v;ere exhib_it;ed Jn art shovrs _i!l _Egyptian cit.ies • ., ··•,.• . Exhibitions ~0re also' held in the comp. A visitor· described one ·cf theI!).t ,,. '••·· "It was just tho fruits of their everyday work o.t the camp -- boautiful. embroidery, furniture, tools, pictures, o.nd ho.nd-woven :ma.terio.l shoes.,·.. : But . most poigno.nt of o.11, a. set of paintings by children under fourtc~m •-:- th_e subject of those pC\intings wns supposed to be the lo.st meinory1·of·th~i'l" village. Thero was n~t one which did not conto.in ·o. -shoot'fng, o. burning, a hanging, or a dead .body, crudely drawn but unmistakable•'' :·: f/ · . . . • • I ,J

I , 1/ World's Children (March 1945) -24-

There were ,two recreation halls .-- originally British Navy., Army anp. ~ir

Force Institutes (NAAFI) -""'. with brick walls-111 concrete floors, high ceil­ ings, iron roofs, and net'ting over the windOW"s and doors, These prayed useful as emergency hospitals during a m~asle~ epidemic· which atte.~ked:, nearly one-tenth of the ca.mp·.·:residents. · · · ~ . ' . . Each camp had a simple playground of same three acres; and the open deserts surrounding the ~p~ were ·a,iso available for playing :~fields~- Various out• door ball games were improvised w:i-t,h the help of· the carpenters. Swimming in the Suez co:nnl was f6rbidden -- the . Yugoslo.v.s· thus being ut a ·griilat dis• advantage compared with ~he Greeks. \. So as to have something green in the desert, small gnrde~s of maize and sugo.r co.ne were plo.nted outs,idc mo.ny_, tent$. ·

I ,, • Chess and checkers were played with hand-carved pieces.

Lack of lamps made it impossibl~ ··to use recreation rooms, classrooms for illiterates, or reading rooms dur_ing the long winter evenings _~

B• · !£l_umbat (Egyp't;)

Location: On t~e. Mediterranean coast, -30 .miles east of Alexandria. - In the summer a considerable number of mothers and children were sent -from El Shatt and Kha ta; tba . to . To~U111ba t as ,: it was con-- :_ · ·,·· sidered more h~althy. Population: 16-·Mo.rch 1944 200 23 May 1944 690 20 Oqtobe'r 1944 2000

31 Decembert 1944.• 2-37'J, ,· A nutrition survey was made of the refugee.: camp ip Oc.tober 1944 by Lt. Colonel Ray Butler of UNRRA's medical staff at Cuiro• In order to en­ sure an adequate supply of co.lei um a.nd rib'?flavin, ._ he su.ggested ihcreasbd_: allowo.nces of milk for children and mothers. 'fnere· ,was little' information conce rning the actual intake of individual persons, because in this qaptp meals were prepared in the various kitchens by voluntary workers ·o..nd the food was then served to a person delegated by the group, to collect, it in · 11 quantity and carry it back to the tent where' it was served to indiv.iduals· in the group. · ' · · · c •. Khatatba (Egypt)

Location:-· In a former army convalescent , camp on 'the ·. " I' railway bebveen Cairo and Alexandria•· .. - ...... -- .. Closed: September 1944 Population : 23 May 1944 5370 , 9 September 1944 6300 " . . ,..

-25-

Age and sex grouping (9 September 1944)

Women 1800 Men 1000 ChildI'en under H3 3500

More tha.n 100 partisan soldiers were sent to Khatatba. during the summer, all of whom had been incapacitated by the wa.r.

This ca.mp was especially open to Arab depredations. One Yugoslav ha.d his overcoat stolen from under his head during the nighti Tents were stolen from around many occupantQ without detection at the time• The tent walls of the church were stolen one night although eleven people were sleeping there at the time•

1. Child Welfare. There were several schools. A representative of the .Americun Rod Cross visited them in July and again in September, dis­ tributing one writing tablet to each child o.s a gift from the Junior Red Cross.

Some po.rtios and gifts were orgo.nized for tho children by British and .American soldiers in the neighborhood.

There were four infant welfare centres. Children's kitchens were started as a means of educating the mothers as to the correct diet for their chil­ dren, stress being la.id on vegetable soups, fresh vegetables, meat and milk, instead of on bread and macaroni.

2. Work. The Yugoslavs completely took over all the housekeep- ing and muintenari'c'e work, thus making it possible to dispense with Arab labour• On 1 September 1944, 958 residents were at work. In an eight-ucr0 go.rden 1 refugee gardeners ro.isod swoot potatoes, pumpkins, cucumbers, lettuce, onions·, maize, eggplant; beans, peanuts, co.bbage, beets, o.nd melons, most of which wore us 0d by ·the co.mp hospital. In Juno 1944, tho Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture sent dovm 3 exports in go.rdoning, poultry raising, o.nd stock­ brooding, and subsequently release d fr'om its nnima.l breeding-centre 100 pure­ bred chickens and 10 chinchilla ro.bbits.

s·. Recroo.tion. Co.mp residents orgo.nized n choir,. Tho obtaining of clothing in which they could mo.ke public ~:ppcnro.ncos was regarded c.s n wclfc,ro mutter,

Tho refugees o.t Khnto.tbo. ho.d compo.ro.tivcly little money to spend excopt tho pocket money givon thoni by the ca.mp o.uthorit:ios. Their ca.ntoon sold in S0p­ tombor about ~6 worth c. do.y;but o. considerable proportion of those so.lcs wore to English soldiers who bought presents fo:r their Yugoslav friends.. Tho co.mp ho.d o. cincmc, . De Locution: Pnrt o:f o. British Army rost crunp.,with two•story stone buildings. Opened by UNRRA s July 1944 Population: 31 December 1944 .. 391

455022