British War Cabinet Discusses Offer to Allow Jews to Leave Hungary

Admiral Miklós Horthy of Hungary has offered to let Jewish children under ten and those with Palestine immigration certificates leave, provided the British and American governments secure accommodation, stopping deportations to Poland. The U.S. urges a swift decision, but the War Cabinet Committee worries about potential unrest in Palestine and the appearance of yielding to Hungary. The Secretary of State for the Colonies is against facilitating the movement of 41,000 Jews to Turkey without guaranteed accommodation. Discussions on involving the Intergovernmental Committee face concerns about delays and risks to lives. Finding adequate accommodation is difficult, with ongoing talks about a Mediterranean transit center and the need for Allied cooperation.

WAR CABINET

HUNGARIAN OFFER TO ALLOW JEWS TO LEA VE HUNGARY.

MEMORANDUM: BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

Admiral Horthy recently informed the International Red Cross representative in Budapest that, provided accommodation could be found by His Majesty’s Government and the United States Government, the Hungarian authorities would be prepared to allow all Jewish.children under l0 yearsof age in possession of visas for foreign countries, and all Jews, both ad nits and children, covered by Palestine immigration certificates to leave Hungary. Meanwhile, all deportation of ,Jews to Poland would cease. \Ve consulted the United States Government on this subject and their reply is contained in Washington telegram No. 4118 (Annex I).]

2.The Hungarian offer appears to be genuine; the United States Government are pressing His Majesty’s Government urgently for a decision, and it would seem to be desirable that the offer should be accepted with the least possible delay (see Washington telegram No. 4238 (Annex II)). The question of acceptance or· rejection was discussed at a meeting of the War Cabinet Committee on Refugees held on the 4tlb August (J.R. (44) 21). The meeting, faced with the dilemma of- 

(a) refusing to accept the “Horthy offer” either jointly with. the United States Government 01· separately and thus possibly ar0using hostile public opinion here and in the United States; ·
(b) accepting the “Horthy offer” and risking civil war in Palestine owing to an inroad of Jews from Hungary into the Levant;

reached no conclusion. I could not be present.

3. The Secretary of State for the Colonies objected strongly to the arrangements proposed by the International Red Cross whereby 41,000 Jews would shortly leave Hungary for Turkey via Roumania, and the general feeling of the meeting was against joining with the United States Government in “signing a blank cheque which we could not honour.” Sir Frank Newsam, on behalf of the Home Office, agreed with the Foreign Office view that we should accept the “Horthy offer” as a gesture, informing the Americans at the same time that they must not face us with the impossible in the question of providing accommodation.

4. It was also pointed out that the offer might be inspired by Hitler, who would wish to create fundamental difficulties for the Allies in the Near East by allowing an exodus of Jews.

5. The meeting finally decided that the above-mentioned dilemma should be referred to the War Cabinet, and the meantime interim telegrams have been sent to Washington instructing His Majesty’s Chargé d’ Affaires to inform the State Department that we cannot decide. without some further delay.

6. It is possible that the United States arguments put forward in Washington telegram No. 4118 against inviting the Intergovernmental Committee to co-operate are inspired by a fear that the Intergovernmental Committee might steal the thunder of the War Refugee Board. It is, however, the view of the Foreign Office that as a practical measure Jhe Intergovernmental Committee should be brought in. Co-operation through the Committee with the neutrals, Sweden and Switzerland, would be helped by their association with the Committee. The Directorate of the Committee need presumably only consult with those governments whose co-operation would be helpful. It is untrue to say that “any” reference to the Committee would be interpreted in Axis Europe as a delaying gesture because reference to the Committee could take place simultaneously with the Anglo-American acceptance of the offer as proposed above. Nor· is it true to say that to invite the co-operation of the Intergovernmental Committee would jeopardise lives. The United States Government presumably mean that lives would be·jeopardised by delay but reference to the Committee would not necessarily mean delay if reference were to be simultaneous with acceptance. On this supposition also, reference to the Committee would not enable the Hungarian Government to proclaim virtual refusal of its offer. Further, our proposed appeal to Latin American Governments (see Foreign Office telegram to Washington 6588, Annex III) should not be brushed aside on the plea that there is no time to make it.

7. Accommodation is at least as difficult to find as transport. The Foreign Office have recently been examining the possibility of establishing a transit refugee centre in the Mediterranean area where Jews emigrating from Hungary could be received. There are already camps at Fedhala and Philippeville in French North Africa and the French Authorities might be unwilling to consent to the establishment of a. further camp. With very considerable difficulty and against the wishes of our Military Authorities we have arranged for the establishment of a camp in Tripolitania. The camps originally started in Egypt under the Middle East Relief and Refugee Administration have lately been expanded considerably in order to take in some thousands of Jewish refugees who have reached Southern Italy from Yugoslavia. The Colonial Office are understood to oppose the establishment of such a transit camp in Palestine or Syria where in any event several camps already exist and Cyprus can take no more refugees. The only possibility would appear to be Sicily, suggested a short time ago by President Roosevelt but apparently rejected by the British and American Military Authorities in the Mediterranean. The view of the Foreign Office is that the immediate problem presented by the flow of Jewish refugees into the Levant may become so acute that as a practical measure the establishment of a transit camp in Syria should be immediately considered. The Dominion Governments are being consulted in regard to the provision of permanent destinations.

8. We could agree with the United States Government that an acceptance of the Hungarian offer to release Jews should be widely published.

9. The draft of a telegram which I propose should be sent to Washington is attached (Annex IV).

10. In view of the important political issues involved, an early War Cabinet decision seems essential.

A. E.

Foreign Office, 8th August, 1944.

See original with Annexes.

Source: British Archives, cab-66-53-34-000