EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT WAR REFUGEE BOARD INTER•OFFICE COMMUNICATION oATE April 4, FROM: .; oseph , • :,urphy l\t, dim,er t.he other evenint Y.ith a local attorney r. ~err/ .. ov. (~.e 3117), he rnlled ~.y attention to the radio ;:;ro,_ra111s o1 -_he c.E aul a<oked ,.,e the extent to v,hich they ~e1·e rEceiviL~ covera_ e in the lnited States, Particularly, \-.e a;,:eri r.e v.'.•o't!er they Y.ere beinL carried over ·:NYC. If they ~ere no't receivinL such coveraie, Lo• intiicated that he ::·,iJit be able tu do s01:iethinF about the matter, l-.e also asked n,e if it 1.oulci be i:ossible for hin, to get 9. sample of t!-e scrir-ts ·.-.LicL are beins u5ecJ, Inas,_,uch as I expect to be out of tov.n off and on for t~e next couple of 'eeks, I a~ passin£ this on to you for ,,;mt ever you ffay Y.isl1 to do about it, Ootober 2s, 1944 Dear Hr. Schneiders Thank you. very 1111oh for sending the copy 0£ the Robert Magid.off portion of NBO' e world News Roundup of Ooto ber 201 ae I requ.eated by telephone. It has been very he:Lpi\J.l to us to have an exact account of what Mr. Magidoff 88.1.d. Sincerely yours, ('Mrs.) Virginia M. Mannon Public Relatione D1vJ..s1on Mr. A. J. Sohneider1 Acting Manager, News and Special Eventt1 National Broadcasting Compan;r, Ino. 1 RCA Building, Radio Oity, New Yon< 201 New York. (Tho following radio broadcast byMr.JohnW. Pelllo; Executive Director of tho War Refugee· Board, an4 · Baukhago, Blue Netwrirk guest commentator, on .tho program of tho United Jewish Appeal for Refugees, Overseas Needs and Palestine is scheduled for presenta• tion from Ylashington by tho National Broadcasting Compafiy between 12 m. and 12:30 P• m., Eastern War Time, Sunday, May 14, and is for roloase· at that time.) · · · BAUICHAGE: Baukhago talkingL From Washington whore on January 22 of this year by oxocutivo order the President set up tho war Refugee Board co~ · sisting of tho Secretary of State, the Secretary of 'the Troasilry and tho Socrotar;r of War, quote 11 to talce action for tho immediate rescue from tho Nazis of as many as possible of tho persecuted minorities of Europe -- racial, religious and political -- all civilian victims of enemy savagery, 11 and quote. Those wore tho words of tho official statement. A full-time executive director of that Board was appointed. Ho is John Pehle, assistant to tho Secretary of the Treasury, and on leave as director of Foreign Funds Control, Mr• Pohlo. is sitting." right hero vrith mo now. Tho driving force in every successful effort is 11,; personality ~ · a hu.man being - and I want to bring that personality before you. Ce · Mr. Pehle, I want you to tell me in your ovm words something aboµt . tho motives behind tho formation of the lifar Rofugco B.oard~ PERLE: Holl, in tho first place, Mr. Baukhage, let mo say that thor~ i~.; more than a personality behind this ef'fort. A nation i_s behind :it· an<;i I think that tho offort is typically Amorican. Thci.factthat in the midst of a groat war tho President saw fit to assign to his three top cabinet officers tho task of rescuing tho rofugoe(l,f:t'oni the clutches of the enemy is significant. It brings h,omewith groat force the urgency of tho problom. BAUKHACtE: Yes, I cl!Il understand that urgency. We know that thousands of persons are being rounded up every day and shipped to execution centers like those in Poland. We hear about these things, but they seem rather vague. · - : .,-_.., -·~ .,/<:·-~:>~ :-·~'~·-. ,·,:\~ 'c" ·-~·-,:. :~--:·i\~~:~~;~1~~\~'-~~:·( ':'~? ., - . L" ••. -. -. • ,; - -_. ;- --:~:_ ~ "~:'.. '£ · _o·.:; ~ ~ .·· C • ~'Y': ·;·.: ·.. ~ ··:·, •• \; ~'.-. ,-·.~,;:---:· ,.. ·;. ,-~\ :: :>'-:._-~:~'.',{: -·-:i~ :-.. -~ .~,: ~-. -· •. - "'-i Y ~-, ;·i;:~(.• _5.;:,;_.:_:·: '';····J· ::· "·" ·r~\-~.G~~.--i~~.'.~~-- ·!>::,- •-· ·--.-;·.·;;:.:;:-_;~o,; < ,. - --.. ;>'.-;.:· ..:· ~- ":.. ·- '.·,,< ·.;:~--\;;:; ·\<.~> ~>,.C ,~}-:.~}~ ·" ;- ..- . .;:.~,. ': -... - • ·:_.,_ .. "- - '· "--< "\~\~\;'.-\-'J~0~ -··,;_-. _:,_._.-o·; · c:~:;··.• ·- :;~.. ~- :-~i'-;·:_~-·.. ·.'.:,: -.·-.: .·.·_:-_•.,·,, .'•. ·,·.·-~_-.:.'~.-~:... ·.~ -,-., _ '.· .. ·_,_,.-;_-_··. · ~:.,:·~, - . ··2·-·- .. c~~~ ··':'"'--' .:'.". •;· >.·;·,:~·:'\>- .'',· .· "'' /_~-..·--.;.:--._- / . >--· ... ...·.·_-.·_.: ...... ,_-.'-~.-1,._. , __._- _._ -; • .. - --·-. _, __ . -·.--=:.. -- -\./<.-· .. -->·::·_:·.~r ,':~-~\;\,,·(-=·- ... '; - .·.:·~~\~'r~/ i~ ~.-i.. ·, '"; ._,_. __ .. -·,··::,_··'--;~/' ' - ''.(._. "'" .- ...__ -.-:- _-:; _,··: - -· - ( - _._ -~ --.. \ : -} '" - ·-.::;~ ';:'~~--->: ·.. -- ~-.-:-~\~;·::"?<:,~~'~?-- .: .. :---~·;· :::- :: >'.. o-..... -- ••••·• ·• :-:~~---:~ .. ~}}~~- -:~''· PEHIE: tilt me tell you, Mr. BaGkn~15e,,.r ~r{e'.• tYJ,:~6.~J:/-st~X:y:'~.'._··~-!~~-$~~:\H3;1;- • • • • - . ' < • • ' - • -. • • • ~ <•;;('.·\ 0-~~:::'-. ' .<~._-_:-:-~.;_'.·_·.··:,- ..•_;{•: .•-.-_c.-.'.~--~.~--.· . b'egan in Poland but, tflank;heaven{·i:li,.dti, 1.y'.E3t'ld there~• There,.is.. ;',· ... _<c ._ '•·« nothing vague about David_, a little ooy~ a .Polish Jew, -8 yeiars ': .. - · :,:.;-: '·""'i old when he saw his parents killed in '':arsaW by a Na~Lfiring ... ,::;,-r -~-~ squad. He ran away to the woods°" Fpr .we'eks ht:i:wan~ered•)i:~~tje '·L · · ·-y'~ until a kindly Christian i'anner and his .wi:fe hid,-lrl.riril'l, "\;he;!.);; ·- ,_- -- :>;>-_};~ home. later the undergrotmd helped_lliJn;across tD.e bprde'i{:to:• '') ·--i-.;~':" ~;\~ Roumania. There he was caught in the geiieral roundupdf-f<:Jre;i:8n,i;· '.~:·~·'< 0:•';,;•; Jews and sent to exile in Trensnist;ria which,; you ~tjoyr; wa:s<Ghj:-maj1.::L{cL ::;:·' R-lUKEAGE: ::::·:n ~=:·~rti rular exilo, waau' t\t, th>t. a,e, J.i <>f, '\. : [ ;~~ '~ .200,000 refugees ~ed of mistreatment and starvatiori, _. ~ : y·,:-~ { .. i FEHIE: That• s right. Several months ago - along with 40,,000 Jello:w - ·.· ..· •· ?. ,, exiles -- David was brought back to Buchare13t, ·. RbµJllfl,nia~ W]1en _- •.. ;: ; · · .,. ' •· , pressure was put on the Roumanians to E1ave the surv.i"{ing refug~es, •: .;,( from annihilation by the retreating Germanyarmy. · , .·.. ··.. {(·:~~; A fe~·1 weeks ago, with the help of the Je~sh Agency for · : . - ,\;·;-,t Pa,lestine, David obtained passage on a Eihip which. ~ailed b'o.in · ·• .> /-:· :· • · '--•<.: Constanza across the Black Sea to Istanbul~ The Joint Distribution:: --~:'/ Committee provided funds for the voyage. David had no documents ;;:.,;.; :- • · .,. • none of the exit and entrance oennits required of travelers •. · But. thanks to the ei'forts of Ambassador Steinhardt and the '\!far Re.fuge~ Board represente,tive in Turkey he'got throi.lgh·•Turkey and on to · . Palestine. David has been through fire. But no,7.he 1 s safe;.· He··· faces life instead of death. · ... · BiJ;IGL!\.GE: ~-· PEHIE: Much of the work is done through diplomatic channels, Yd th the _ •··.· '(~'WiiE assistance of the State Deµirtment and i-ts foreign r:epresenta:tives, • :. ':;"\y" To_day the United States, as one of the- recognized leaders:among · _ ){~~: _nations, is in a position to bring home to other countries -- alli~:s ;. \]' neutrals, and Axis satellites alike - what the -1\me,ricaii people \val'lt -~;". done about refugees. Ai'tor all, the job of the r:ap Refiige~ Bcial'd_._: ·.. _ :', is to carry out the desires of the Americ<ln people•on_this sub'.'iec't.·:/ · "-,-ii B•.\.UI'1-L.\.GE: t.·i Yihat about diploma tic pressure on the satellite 9qµri~I'ies-;, Mr. Peht~? ,, _.. ~;\·- Can that actually be used to ·save lives? PEHll:: It certainly can. BAUKHAGE: How? ,.-'·-·. ~---- -•.··-- -3- PERLE: The satellites no longer have any illusions· about the outcome of the war. BAUKHAGE: They certainly shouldn't have, PERLE: They know that Germany will be defeated. We can bring about a more liberal attitude toward the refugees by making it crystal-clear to those countries that the United States and the United Nations will bear in mind their treatment of minorities vlhen tho time for final settlement comes. BAUKHAGE: Let's sec, it was only a fovr weeks ago, wasn't it, that tho President warned Germany and tho satellites of tho consequences of further persecution of the Jews •. PEHLE: That's right. And ho called ~pon all tho froo peoples of Europe and Asia 11 to open their frontiers to all victims of oppression." BAUKHAGE: Have you any way of knoi.ing thc:t such 'Harnings have had any effect? PEHLE: 'ifo arc sure that they do, although it is obviously difficult to measure their effectiveness exactly. The f.act that Roumania per­ mitted the refuge0s to return from :ransnistria to Roumania proper may ,_.,ell be_ ·an example of tho success of '~his technique. We have ovid-:nco that those --arnings have injoct.:::d no,; life and hope into thousands· of dov:ntroddcn, tormented people - have boon "booster shots" to sinking he2.rts •. BAUKHAGE: Is the work which the ·rar 2.efugoc Board is doing in. any way dup1icat~ng tho activities of private agencies such as those which aro.rqprosorited in the United Jewish Appeal? ·PEHLE: Definitely not, Mr. Baukhago. Private; agencies and tho Board work as a team. Through tho Bo2.rd things are done that only Government cari do. Private agencies me:ot tho principal costs and assist in functional ways._ We need them and they need us. BAUKHAGE: Woll, Mr. Fehle, can you toll us a little more concretely how this works out?· PERLE: Lot me toll you about Loon and Ruth, a Jovrish couple whoso martyrdom began when the Germans took Franco, For o. time they hid in the outskirts of Paris and thon in the surrounding country. Last winter they made their way to Spain. Their only possessions were the clothes on their backs, After making this treacherous journey they were held in custody ~::rtil provision could be made for them. The LToint Distribution Committee - one of the agencies in the United Jev1ish Appeal - secured their freedom by guaranteeing their main­ tenance. Leon and:Ruth a::'.'e in Barcelona no,.,. 'l'hey are candidates for evacuation to a car.1p ·;rhich the United States and Great Britain have sot up near Casabl211cR in North Africa~ The War Refugee Board is goi:1c to see that they get there - soon., ~· -.