FRANK OLEY

Documents relating to the work of Frank Foley, Passport Control Officer and member of the Secret Intelligence Service, 1933-39

1. Minute from Frank Foley to Chancery, HM Embassy in Berlin, 29 March 1933. Foley notes that the Passport Control Office is 'overwhelmed' with applications from Jews to emigrate, and that he has received no special instructions on how to deal with those who wish to travel to England. Hitler had been Chancellor for less than two months, but his anti-Semitic views had long been a central feature of his and his Party's programme and he lost little time in introducing discriminatory measures. Foley had been in Berlin since 1920, and in his Secret Service role was a close observer of the rise of the National Socialist Party and of Hitler. (C 3405/319/18, FO 371116721, The National Archives (TNA), Kew)

2. Extract from Conclusions of a Meeting of the Cabinet held at 10 Downing Street on 12 April 1933. The Cabinet considered a report by a committee appointed to consider the 'influx' of Jews to England in the light of escalating persecution in Germany. At this stage, however, the numbers seeking refuge in the United Kingdom remained small, and while the Government remained uncertain as to how Hitler's new regime would develop they were reluctant to allow large numbers into the country (though willing to encourage 'prominent Jews' who 'had achieved distinction'). The Cabinet's caution at this date must be seen in the context of severe economic depression and high unemployment in the UK. (Cabinet Conclusions 27(33), CAB 23/75, TNA)

3. Memorandum by Frank Foley on 'The Situation of Jews in Germany', 7 May 1935. This long memorandum by Foley notes that some apparent lessening in the Nazi regime's anti-Semitic policies since late 1933 had now been reversed, with a series of harsh measures taking effect in early 1935. Jews wishing to emigrate were in a 'desperate' position, experiencing long delays in getting permission for the release of the necessary funds. Foley offers no personal judgement, but his survey left no doubt in the mind of MJ Creswell of the Foreign Office Central Department: 'Not only the status of the Jew, but the whole political outlook of present day Germany is pure mediaeval. ' (C 3853/232118, FO 371118861, TNA)

4. Statement by Mr TH Frame, Commercial Secretariat, HM Embassy in Berlin, 1 July 1935. Frame had served all over Gennany in the Consular Service since 1922, so like Foley had long experience of the rise of anti-Semitism. His account of the brutal treatment by members of the Sturmabteilung of Jews, playing skittles on a peaceful Sunday afternoon, is typical of many eye-witness accounts received by the British Foreign Office at this period. When the report was received in London, MJ Creswell of Central Department observed that 'This objectionable childishness seems to continue, thanks to the efforts of Dr Goebbels and other anti-Semitic extremists'. (C 5217/232/18, FO 371118861, TNA)

5. Minute from Frank Foley to Chancery, HM Embassy, Berlin, 17 January 1936. For many German Jews hoping to escape persecution, Palestine seemed to offer the prospect of a better life, and detailed plans for large-scale emigration

. 1

were prepared by the Zionist Organisation. Foley considered that German Jews should be encouraged to emigrate to Palestine in preference to other countries where an influx of Jews might lead to anti-Semitism. For the British Government as Mandatory Power, however, the prospect of increased Jewish immigration into Palestine posed serious difficulties. 1936 saw mounting unrest and violence during investigations by a Royal Commission on Palestine; demands by the Palestine Arabs for the suspension of immigration had the support of powerful neighbours like Egypt and Saudi Arabia; and by the summer the Cabinet were seriously worried about the effect that any military action to restore order in Palestine might have on Moslem opinion generally, including in India. Despite his recommendation, Foley clearly realised that the matter was not straightforward. (C 467/16/18, FO 371119919, TNA)

6. Extract from an account by Sir Robert Vansittart, Permanent Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, of a visit to Germany in August 1936 ('A Busman's Holiday'). Although Vansittart's long memorandum contained only one paragraph relating to the position of Jews in Germany, this extract conveys some impression of the difficulties that British Ministers and officials encountered in dealing with the Nazi regime. Vansittart, known for his anti­German sentiments, liked Goebbels, while believing him 'capable de tout'; he admired the 'stored energy' demonstrated at the Olympic Games, while deploring the nationalistic element; he noted the 'generous and universal hospitality' received, but also the 'reverse of the medal' revealed in an interview with a German Jew. Vansittart regretted that the only comfort he could offer this individual was the prospect of a European settlement that might deter further persecution or make it easier to 'put in a moderating word' on his behalf. (Vansittart Papers, Churchill Archives Centre, University of Cambridge)

7. Letter from Rear Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair, Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, to Sir Alexander Cadogan, Permanent Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, 3 January 1938, enclosing a memorandum by the Director of Passport Control. The growing numbers of refugees seeking entry into the UK in the late 1930s posed special problems for the British Intelligence Agencies, of which this letter gives some indication. SIS officers often operated abroad under Passport Control cover: the work done by Foley in Berlin is a good example of the strain put on this system by the huge increase in demand, particularly from Jewish refugees. In addition, the Intelligence Agencies were worried about the possible entry of undesirable aliens - who might be enemy spies - into Britain, in the guise of refugees. For both these reasons, Sinclair sought Foreign Office support in asking the Home Office to limit the numbers admitted to the UK. (PUSD papers: to be released in 2005 in class FO 1093, TNA)

8. Extract from Conclusions of a Meeting of the Cabinet held at 10 Downing Street on 13 March 1938. This short extract illustrates further the Government's difficulties in considering the admission of large numbers of Jewish refugees into the UK. Sir Samuel Hoare, Home Secretary, felt he had to mention a 'story' received from MIS, the British domestic security agency, suggesting that 'the Germans were anxious to inundate this country with Jews'. While this might seem far-fetched even for MIS, there is no doubt that the Home Office had genuine concerns about potential unrest and about 'undesirable aliens'. The Cabinet were

2

clearly agreed, however, on the importance of 'adopting as humane an attitude as possible' in dealing with the issue. (Cabinet Conclusions 14(38), CAB 23/93, TNA)

9. Extract from Berlin Consular Report, 8 June 1938. A graphic account of a 'recent recrudescence of Jewish persecution', including the breaking up of families by means of legislation and the activities of the police: 'Jews have been hunted like rats in their homes.' The author of this report found that the German public viewed these developments with sympathy and 'morbid interest'; though his comment that people were expressing 'regret and disgust' at the action or inaction of the Government indicates the ambivalence of many ordinary German people towards the Nazi regime. (C 7092/1667/62, FO 371121635, TNA)

10. Despatch No. 1224 from Sir G Ogilvie-Forbes, HM Minister in Berlin, 16 November 1938. This fierce but dispassionately worded despatch describes the terrible events of November 1938 that made Foley's role even more important to those desperately seeking escape from Germany. What Ogilvie-Forbes describes as 'national persecution' of Jews followed the murder in Paris of an official of the German Embassy, vom Rath, on 7 November. After an 'orgy of destruction and terror' on the night of 9/10 November 1938 (Kristallnacht) , hundreds of Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps; and on 12 November the first of a new set of anti-Jewish decrees were published. Ogilvie-Forbes had no doubt that vom Rath's murder 'only accelerated the process of elimination of the Jews which has for long been planned' . The Jews of Germany, he wrote were now 'not a national but a world problem which if neglected contains the seeds of a terrible vengeance' . (C 14108/1667/62, FO 371121637, TNA)

11. Facsimile reproduction of a notification issued by Frank Foley to the Ruppel family, 21 November 1938, informing them that the Home Office had granted them permission to travel to England. (Reproduced by kind permission of Michael Smith, whose account of the Ruppel family's fate can be found in Foley: The Spy who Saved 10,000 Jews, pp 127-30)

12. Extract from Conclusions of a Meeting of the Cabinet held at 10 Downing Street on 22 November 1938. Malcolm MacDonald's statement encapsulated the difficulties faced by the Government in deciding whether to increase the numbers of Jews that could enter Palestine. Humanitarian considerations had to be set against the priority of reaching a broader settlement on Palestine at forthcoming discussions in London, to be attended by Arab and Zionist representatives. Dr Chaim Weizmann, the Zionist leader, refused to attend the conference unless a demand from the Jewish Agency to admit 21,000 further Jews to Palestine were met; the Palestine Arabs refused to attend if they were admitted; and the British High Commissioner in India reported that the Indian Government (influential to Moslem opinion) believed the British Government would not have invited neighbouring Arab States to the conference unless they intended to suspend immigration. The British Government's decision not to take an early decision on further immigration must be seen against this dilemma. (Cabinet Conclusions 56(38), CAB 23/96, TNA)

3

13. Minute from Frank Foley to Sir G Ogilvie-Forbes, HM Minister in Berlin, on the emigration of Jews to Shanghai, January 1939. Many European Jews made the arduous journey in the 1930s to Shanghai, where there was an old-established Jewish community. Although the city was in a state of turmoil, surrounded by Japanese troops, with increasing levels of violence in the International Settlement, it still offered, as Foley said, 'infinitely better' conditions than a concentration camp in Germany. Despite the alliance between Germany and Japan, the latter did not implement Nazi policies against Jews stringently. (W 1017/519/48, FO 371124079, TNA)

14. Telegram CX 542 from Rear Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair, Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, to Frank Foley, Head of the SIS Station in Berlin, 9 March 1939. The question of whether Passport Control Officers should enjoy diplomatic status had been raised on many occasions in discussion between SIS and the Foreign Office. The FO maintained that they did not wish their representatives abroad to be concerned in any way with passport control matters (principally because SIS representatives often used the PCO role as cover). In December 1938 a meeting was held at which Sir Alexander Cadogan conceded that the international situation made it desirable to review the question. At the time this telegram was sent, however, 'C' had to resort to the somewhat spurious ·argument that since Foley was not actually employing any Germans (he employed British nationals for whom Germans worked) it could be said that he was 'not repeat not engaged in SIS activity'. (SIS documents are not released into the public domain; a copy of this telegram was made available to the Chief Historian of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for the purposes of the present collection)

15. Memorandum from the Director of Passport Control to the Inspector General, April 1939. This memorandum was sent by the Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service to Sir Alexander Cadogan, Permanent Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs, on 27 April 1939, with the request that the Foreign Secretary should raise again with the Home Office the problems caused by the large number of refugees entering the UK. 'It seems to me', wrote Admiral Sinclair, 'that this influx of aliens is a menace to our National interests'. The volume of refugees applying for visas to enter the UK continued to put a strain on the Passport Control service, as well as causing domestic security concerns. As the Director of Passport Control noted, however, the issue was one of Cabinet policy, and the figures show that that policy was interpreted generously: 45,566 VIsas were granted to German refugees between May 1938 and March 1939. (PUSD papers, to be released in 2005 in class FO 1093, TNA)

16. Letter from Frank Foley to Dr D Arian in Tel Aviv, 6 July 1939. Replying to a letter of thanks from one of the many thousands whose families he helped to leave Germany, Foley pays tribute to the 'courage and fortitude of the Jews'. Many of those he helped paid similar tribute to him. (Reproduced by kind permission of Michael Smith, who quotes part of the letter in Foley: the Spy Who Saved 10,000 Jews, p. 169)

4

Tiergartenstrasse 17,

Berlin '1.35.

March 29th, 1933.

The Chancery.

This office is overwhelmed with applications from Jews

to proceed to Palestine, to· England, to anywhere in the

British Empire.

Professional men of the highest standing, including

some whowere wounded on the German side during the war,

have consulted me with regard to emigration.

It is true they do not complain of having been mishandled,

but they suffer under the moral persecution - seelicher Druck -

of the present system.

The people who have been and are being beaten up are the

common worker and his wife.

I have received no special instructions with regard to

England. Applicants who do not require Visas, are given

a copy of the attached letter.

(Sd) F.E.Foley.

Minute from Frank Foley to the Chancery, HM Embassy, Berlin, 29 March 1933; sent on to the Foreign Office Central Department on 31 March.

ALIENS RESTRI CTIONS:

Admission O~ German Jewish Ref'ug,ees.

(previous Refer ence: Cabinet 23 ( 33) Concl us­ion 5).

F ..

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36(ss)r, /It-{~<{, ) Ie ,

446 p . The Cabinet had before them a Report

(Paper C.P. 96 (33») by the Cabinet Committee

\vhlch had been appointed in pursuance of the

Cabinet Concl. us10n mentioned in the margin to

examine the proposals made to the Home Secretary

on behalf of the Jewish Community, for dealing

with the problem of the influx of Jews from Germany

in consequence of recent events in that countr,y.

After summarising the more important racta

of ' the situation, and drawing attention to the grave

objections involved in the adoption at the moment,

etther of a policy of making the preaent restrict­

ions more severe, or of a policy Qf relaxing those

restrictions in the direction desired by the British

Jew1sh Community, the Committee submitted the

following recommendations to the Cabinet:

(1) That the existing arrangements relative to the admission and exclusion of German Jewish refugees should be maintained for the time being until it is seen how the situation develops:

(2) That the existing arrangements should be strengthened by the addition to the conditions regarding duration ef visit and non-emp1oyment already reqUired, of a further eondi tion that the refugee should in .every case reg1ster himself with the Po11ce immediately on reaching his destination in the Uni ted lt1ngdom&

(3) That the answer to the British Jewish Authorities should be to the effect that there can be no question at the present time of relaxing the restriotions on the entr,y or aliens to the United Kingdom for the benefit o:f' German Jewish refugees. In cases where such refugees had been given permission to land for a temporary stay, and desired to extend it, the Government would be prepared to consider a ~rther extension provided that the Jewish Community were prepared to guarantee, eo far sa might be necessary, adequate means of maintenance for the refugees concerned:

-15-

Extract from Conclusions of a Meeting of the Cabinet held at 10 Downing Street on 12 April 1933.

( 4) That the Committee should continue to watch the situation aad, if necessary, should r~I.ort further to the Cabinet after the Easter Recess.

447

Th~ Ho!'!)e Secreta.ry inf"ormed the Cabinet that he

would ha.ve to answer the following Question the

same afternoon:-

"Mr N.ander,- To ask the secretary o~ Sta t e ;f(\r the T. orne Department if the Gover~ment will be prepared to cons 1der the gra.nt.ing of a.sylum to Ge~::tn Je s in thts COtlntry on 8 self-~upporting financ1 ~ 1 bas1sw.

Re ~u~~ested the dr8~t o~ a reply.

Proposals 'ere made to the Oab1net that it would

.e in the public interest to try and secure for this

country prominent Je'''s who ere being expelled from an~

German~ who had ach1evr-d distinction 'whether in pure

science, applied science. such a~ me~icine or

technical industry. music or art. "his would not

only obtain ~o~ this cotntry the advantnp-e of their

knowledge and exp rienc • but would also create a

very favoural: Ie impY'e~sion in the ,\orld. partic\.llarly

1~ our hospitality wer~ offered 11th sane wsrmth.

It was sugge~tea that perhap~ the Lo~d President of

the Council might be .illin~ to con~ult Officials

and Members o~ such bo ies as the Department o~

Scientific and Tnnu~tri~l Research. the Medical

Research Council and the Royal Society on these

ma.tte s anr! ad.vise the to-orne Sec!'et ary and the

Ca.binet Comr.ittee a to ,,-he her anything could be

done.

While ~ully rea11e1nr the importance of not

allowinp- thi~ country to be 'flooded ,r.ith foreign

re:f't'p,ees who v'oulQ 't;ef'oT'e long either be30me a

burden to the community or repla.ce other orkers h 0

rould become 8 'Irden. e Oa ine were anxious to

avoid the 0 ·he~ danger o~ or-eating an atmosphere

in E ope critical to this country.

-16-

mhe Oabinet agreed --

(a) To approve genernlly the p~oposalB of t~e Cabinet Comm~t.tee as eumna.rised a.bove:

(b) mo l.nv~te the Cabinet Commit.tee to cons~der the suggestions summar~sed above ~o~ of~er1n the hospitality o~ t .18 country. with as much warmth ae; possible" to re~@ees from Germany who were eminent tn science. technology,

. art, music, etc.:

(c) To app~ove the ~ol10 in_ reply which the Fome ~ecret ary' propos ed to make to a Question that was bein~ put to him the same after­noon:-

"The question whether a ~o~ei~ner ~eek1nR admission to this country 1s in a position to support h~ el~ and his dependants 1s only one o~ the factors to be taken into account when decid1n~ whether leave to land can prope~ly be cranted to h~. A I stated in reply to a question on the 21st Febr1. 'ary. the intere8ts of this count~ must predominate over a 1 other considerations. but subject to this g~iding principle each case will be care~ully considered on its indiv1dDal rner~t~ and I can as. ure the l;lonourable Member that in accorda.nce "ith the tUne-honoured tradi ion of thi~ country no unneces~ary ob~taclea are place ~n the way of ~oreigners se kin admimon. "

-17-

448

1 B ~~~Z}C 3853fi32/18.

FROMSir E. Phipps (Berlin)

No. 444 (178/14/35)

D~ 10th May 1935. Received \ i,. RegisJ,y 13th }lay 1935.

c: Germany

Last Paper.

C . ~ ~

c A

Anti-Jewish campaign in Germany.

Refers to Berlin despatch No. 110 of 2nd February (C 1016/232/18).

Transmits copy memorandum of 7th Yay by passport control officer summarising meaSures taken against Jews in last few months and reviews character of anti-semitic movement at present time.

912( - 10/ 33 10'.0.1).

Memorandum by Frank Foley on The Situation of Jews in Germany, 7 May 1935, sent to London on 10 May by Sir E Phipps. HM Ambassador in Berlin; with minute of 23 May by Mr MJ Cresswell of the Foreign Office Central Department.

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tatemen y • T. R. Frame of the Commercial ecreta iat, 17 Tie gartenstrasse, Berlin .

unaay afternoon, 30th une 1935, was sitting in the

Park estaur nt, Slidende Steglitz, 7hen a fe detac ents of

s . . , and rbeitsfront men marched in ~ith b n and banner s.

lip st" for the bene!,i t of the • . Krie shinte bliebene

Versor ung s then roc eded with in the 0 en air in p rt of

the restaurant grounds hich were separatec by a hed e from the

rest of th grounds . ch ree . e to ent r this art of

the ~ro n s .

At about 6.30 a s eaker announc from the bandstand pI t-

foI'lll, ith the assistance of the oud spea r, that Jell's had

crept into the restaura t grounds and dem ded th t tney hould

leave r.rithin t en mint tes . At that, a numb r of people nade th

ay l' om the part of the p grounds in vh1ch the "Fest" was

ir

bein held, towards the back of the a k ~here the Sport H Ie is

Situ ted . I made my fay round the par and arrived at the

"S 0 til Ie" while the still unsuspecting Je' s 'jere sittin in a

mall arden, railed off, outsid the sport hall, rinking coffee .

S •• men and civilians from the" est' then rived and shouted

"Ju en h raus" . One or t·o of the S. A. I!l n nd civilians pushed

their vay into the garden nd hustled the Je s, mostly men and

ome of middle age , into the sport hall behind . . ny of t'

Je~ish men had be n playing skittles ana ere in sport ress . They

had to collect their clothes fron the "Gar erobe" . A second troop

of S. A. men ca e to hurry them out . The Je 6 ere then hustled

out, and pushed out with their clothes in their arms , and in this

condition they had to make their vay to their own moto r car s or to

the street outside . I saw one Je\ beaten by a tall S •. an with

his eather belt , nd sa another Jew spee ed on his ay ith a

violent/

Statement by Mr TH Frame, Commercial Secretariat, HM Embassy, Berfin, 1 July 1935; sent to London by Mr Be Newton, HM Minister In Berfln, on 4 July.

-2-258

violent kick. eo Ie in the crowd were shouting insulting

rema ks as the Jews came out and made their \I y off . embers

of the cr·owd re agr ed that i t ~ as "eine unel"hBrte ~'rech-

heit" for the e s to come th re hile the as holain

I gleaned from conv_rsations in the crowd that the

est had original'y been fixed for the ~aturQay, but that on

account of the Goebbels eetin at Tempe hof h been ost­

poned to the Sunday, on hich day a Jewish kittle Club ha

already elgaged the Sport Hall an c fe the e . If ~he

announcement had not been made from the ban stand, not one

person in 100 in the restaurant roun s would ve known that

the Je,s rere there at all . ter the Jews were riven out,

the S. A. lea er ble his whistle an said "Kamera en" e ill

go back now, and they marche round the "Fest ll groun vith

the Table banner of the Jewis kittle Club as a trophy , sing­

in that they would han the ews and the "Schwerzen"

(Catholics) . speaker then tol how the mur er at S rajevo

ha been committe , or instigate , by Jews and ree ~sons ,

and advised everybody to learn the truth from the "StUrmer" .

olice lere called and four or ~ive arrived ~en practi­

cally eve ything was uiet again. But three or four S . A. men

got in the alice lorry n lith the police fallowed a public

omni bus i.n which a number of J e s had left the place , a d as

I passe th olice Station in the .'!1ariendorfer trasse on my

way home about eight of the Je S (including women and one girl)

who had been taken f om the omnibus ere being herded into the

police station . rhe police lorry then went to the restaurant

and brouwht the owner of the cafe to the olice station.

1st July , 1935 . (Signed) ~hos •• Frame .

OUr Re~s 80/30117

Tlergar en traase.17,

Ber11n .35.

JaauArY 11th.1938.

THE C A eERY.

I. I b g to attaoh

A or ndum on lve Ye r pl ot

J wlah igratloD t'rom Gel' n7 to P leatine.

It 1a b ed On t1 nd e.t te pp11ed

to me b,. th Z10nl t Organ1. t1on. It 1.

int re lng, it tigures ooordlDg to

ag of the e ish po 1 tion or Ge an7_

It w1ll be • en that there la larse

peroent ge or J 0'9' I' 4 year o~ e.

They oon8tltut 'Y difficult robl , 8 it w111 not be :found yto

in for 1 oountr1e In their aion

or to tr in them to new on

n ooloni 1 doth I' 1 nd. aide

0 an7·

'lhe Zlonl t. ho to a ttle 15 000 80 1 per

al.atine. In 01n1 n thl

:t'l e i r o hi • 11 be urprl ed

it 10 000 1 rate . 'fh 0'9' nt ~

p 141 tin 1 not 1. ing o r ltl In

C tego17 :A.V. ( P.500 o pi 1) J Cert1:t'10 t •

In Cat go~ A.l. w1ll not b 80 n rau. 1

1138 ••••••••••••••••

Minute from Frank Foley to the Chancery, HM Embassy, Berlin, 17 January 1936, sent to London on 20 January by Sir E Phipps, HM Ambassador in Bertin.

-2 ..

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C Cople. and tran.latlon. ot oorre.pondence

betwe8n this offiae nd the Reloh.stelle

rilr Devl enbew1rt ohaftung. '!'he 1 tt r

f~o.a the Reioh stelle ~ Devlsenbew ~t chaftung

to me dat d 13th.J nuAry 1936 is o~ great

interest, .s it hows a d finite disposition

on the rt or t e n1 try for oonomie

A~falrs to do very thing pos8ible to

f&o111tate r tion of Jews, that i8 to

say, to £ind a olution of the transfer

problem.

I venture to submit th t Germ n Jew. ould

( be enoou aged to 19ra te to P 1e 8 tlne ill

re~ r noe to an7 other oountr7. I tore. e

ntl-. tl m rising in oth r oountrie.

1f" the inflow ot Jew beoom 8 t bl

to th native opu1atl0 •

I ho Gov rn ent w111 rind nd

n8 o~ illore n he ye rl,. q 0 under

the Labour Sohedule. The German Government

would, I taa Ine, not be wllllng to oonsider

extending f otllt!e. tor the training ot the

70ung r Je ., unle • there xi.ted t lr

ro eat. ot their being 110 d to e~ ate

ft r their tr 1nlng.

Under th ••••••••••••••

Und r the Labour Soh dule tor the halt

ye r endin the 31 t. aroh 1936. Germany

wa allotted '95 Cert1t10 t I, very

generous ro ortion ot he to al, but

8mall wh n co sid red fro the n Ie ot

erman ne de. It 1

oonom10 1tu tlon ot

to be hop d th

al tine ",111

n ble the '0 rnment to lncr 8. th I

n xt ot.

The r •• outlon 18 8 relentl 88

though rh s mol' lbt1 1n ode

ver

The man with whom T IJ'ot on be t in Berlin wa. Dr. Goebbels. He. emed to me the deep st of them all. Report ha: him capablp dp tout: I fwnd much charm in him--a limping, eloquent. slip of a Jat:ohill ... qui('k a, a whip." and oft n. I douht not, as ('utting. One (,'( II imHaine t:i: inftuem:e. onee in his tricle, over andirncc. .. n.la.ved. lllogi('al. elate." :lS Kipl lng wrote of .\merit:alls

fifty yeal'lS alto; but he i. a takulatol' ami theretore a mall with \vhom onc

might do bu. ine:s. . lore might b made of him if thi kind of contact (;ould? muil,tilined; and. conversely. if it is not, he t'ould become \" 1')" damaD"lllD". Mv wife alld I likf)d him and hi wife a.t nre; it i a.n ob~riou 1y harp.,' marriaae. with attratt,ive de\'otion on ho h ide:. I III ntion thl hetau e talcs hare run riot on the mornl of l'evi feu G~l'IlWll\,. \0 douht there ar' Can. 'm de ' to mini"tel' to Olympia.n , i.l.Ild th!'l .. q~petit .' of nc\ men t'ome hy feeding, -othing. howe ... I', (~lIld Ie fUJ'thcl' f!'om the tlllth ill the case or' the mlillg <:lique ' it. dome til' lift, : em: il'l'ep 'o;!chabl . witne. t.he v I'Y pleasant He " 1Ilhlfl[ll. 01' ren that of General Goring. I 'ay " C\ ":1 .. 1 ('au. Generai GOl'ill~ Ita. hecn givcn a bad lI<un in EUJ'ope, ,11e! thong} he douhtles~ has defect ', thi ii'i not one of them. Ilis really I icc \ ire i· it .0 ll1g lady of Riga, likdy to kcep her ~ ilt as \ e1l as the ~mile OJ) tit;.! fat'" or the tigeJ'. The trouhle al)Q' t thi .' howlding. primitive t' 'e~vul'~ i. that he hp' neve!' (~l'Own up. Geneml (Hiring enjoys cvel'~,thinc." part ieul;1I'l~' hig own pa:ti 'g, with °thc gUl5to of Smith minot' suddenly pO':,4c~:cd of unlimited tit'k at the :cheo\ :. OI'~S. 'The wOl'ld i .. hi o~'~tCl', and no dam led nOllSCll~e nhout opcniu lY • The new men do llot stinl thelll,dye .. 01' tLeil' guc'ts, \Vhile mOJ1~!' i~ 0 ohjed - 1 ('ml oni\' gue : what DJ'. ~('haC'ht :ay: - thc tao te of their cnlel'lainmcllt: i' l' mill'kuhle. Having l'een theil' ('o.-tline :, I am glild we waived our'claim to the lll\t 01~·ll1pin.d. The Japanc can have it. and welrom. Onl,' Oll('C did disl'J'imiIlllticm falter- ill the well-ll1e:llIt pl'Odul'lion of a Geeek tl'acTcdy, pet'fedly ~taged and eXcel'ahly acted: a good example of OUI' pcr'~il'\tent nobber\' in prctew!ing that, the theatre of one age is compatihle with another. .

A prrrpo,\ of the Olympic games, in the pa't there ha be n ('ontro\'ers~r whethel' the\' , ere int~rnationally henefieial 01' the I'ver.e. J :honld 8av that they' 'ef' at OlIC time beneficial :1nd that th v arc now the reverse. owilllr ·to the ovcr-, peei, li. ation of athletic , \Vhat i~ allplauded now is not the incli vidual performance, but the national performer, often the produd of a (;o\'ernment :uh:ich'. TLe crowd wa' full of nationali'ID, There i: a tcndenc\' to ... 'ani rom­petiti\~e national ad\'ertigement. and the foot:tep' f Pl'e tigE' ;'~.n ahno~t be hearu on the trnck One doc. not f 'cl mueh amateur :pirit in the air, hut rat-her a jealou:l ' regarded profe 'ional demoJl:tration. There i. <lImo l too much organiS<'ltion all round: and from OUl' own point of view the progmmme i. greatl ov l'burdelled, It contain. endle's laulThahly unol -mpic item ', whirh no Engli h­rnnn -ill ~pl'iou ly praeti' ; awl, as the:e all t'OUllt for crown nlld In dal , we :hall ' lway: ('~t a poor figur in the total re'-l1lt. T \Y~' in~p.r ~ged p.v the fact that f)lIt PrestlLTe " <1: unclonMedh' lowe['cd hv the relatlH f(ului" (l! O.ll' team, althou"h it wa~ a really fil'~t-c1H~s am, teur one. The otJ Cl' tllillg that :tl'llck m 1ll0:t at tIle Olvmpla.d \\:lS the gymlla~ti(: di:play gj"l!n ill th , :lfCiHl by thous. nd' of Herman youth: alld girls, th more ..;tl'ikilJ<1 1n tnat, a: Fmu Wiring infOl'med me, the r were in no sen > picked, hut C;llnL at l'alldc.lll from t.he c(juntl'~r . The 'e tCllse, intense. peopl nrc gOilJg to make u: laoK: 9' nation . if ~e l~t to l'(mtinuc I aphaz. rd. And the.,. WIll want 1.0 de :01 _cthlllg wort whil' WIth this stored energy. So it all depend' on wh.t th c~· :li'e I i 1;:: t:'1l;;1 t is WOl Lh , tile ' alld that ht'lIJU's 1110 hack to Ill' old sl(wUIl <1bout Wi t(·hi1. a the tC.{t-b· ok::. Thcv ~ill /l·i"..e little c~nlfort· faJ', i l·ft, Berlin with thi~ impl'l'::, 1(111, wHh Blall •

W~ l'in pel':ona.lliking .. ~tlld wi h gl'atitude fol' gen I'ou. and HlJivCl'sd ll<" 'Pitalit~:· The ho pitality and the gr: titude ... ere both :0 ;renuinc that one trate:

in olle.:elf an in~tindire hesitation ill mentioning the r rer'e of the medal-a tribute to whnt mu't haye hccl1 the general effect produced hy the Olympiad. But the im')i'cs:ion IllU,t be trut.hful and complete. The rever~e of th medal was a thill, aln10st tnuJspal' Il~,. profile. , ith t~ hio'h i'Ol' ,hrild and il ' i~,h tencd ey{'.. It, name was. too ' }Jpl·opl'lately. 1.1'<1 I. He, ;lml in hy th~ back d 01' 0" the Embas y plainly tel'l'CIl'i.; d; indeed, h lJlUl']llU cd-he Jl~\'el' I'ili:t'cll, is \Oil abm·\.: a mm'JtlUr- that. were it kuo vn thl t he h.l<i tome to $e'~ ill . it \. Hid ) thc end of him. TIe meni ioned 11 ('omrnOl1 fl'ien'i. who had 1'1'(' ntl'.' ('ommittN 'ui id n •

looked Ilenou~ly orer hi. .. houlder, and a ked if nothing toulcl be done to alleviate the lot of hi.' lse doomed ('0-1' ligioni:"tl'. I had, in flld, I nn <€mpte' to ~av 'olllething 0 thi:-. ill Berlin while di ~ ·u.'gin~7 Anglo-(;(i\l'man l'eh tion.; but the Amha::adol' w; . tlear' tha. ,in the prevailing mood. uny appal"nt II in el'vention ,. would do far more hi rm than good t the \'it' i111. I l'cplied (\n'ordinglv: but I added that he ~hOllld keep hi h'1:tJ't up. for. if we all (ilm~. to a~1 m {It in the autumn, the en. ning Wi. l'mth might either tend to deter U .I'many from further pcr~e(:utjoll-MI'. I Tael wa. very, nre that another outbreak was on the way-or

el:- , make it more po~",ihle thaI now ·01' a. n wI: -.ign d-up friend .to p It, ~D a model'atin~' \\'on1 . With thi:- pel'fol'c(l h had to he L'OjlLent. thou~h It ,'(1' httle Cl.lOugh: rtlld , 0 d P' ,t" I. tl'cmniou i. lid di. pil'i 'd. i. gain hv the .~ll'k <1001'. I dId !lot l'eli. h t:li..- in cl'\'i(\\ '.

Extract from an account by Sir Robert Vansittart, Permanent Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, of a visit to Germany in August 1936 ('A Busman's Holiday'). Reproduced by kind permission of the Churchill Archives Centre, University of Cambridge. The memorandum is printed in full in Documents on British Foreign Policy 1919-39, Second Series, Volume XVII, Appendix I.

Letter from Rear Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair, Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, to Sir Alexander Cadogan, Permanent Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, 3 January 1938, enclosing a memoran­dum by the Director of Passport Control (The signature of 'e' would have been cut out when the letter was entered on Foreign Office files).

n.

I a 1 I!UCh "i< tu .... rain

. i en is be i nd 1a .(~d o. the ) rS0n! ~l f th t

01 rvi ':{:S i conn ct i. Ii tn th r 1'1 e flU st ion .

et ..... '1 li r "ents . -1

.1 viner t: s~d tn £Iff of h :'l- StJ,:ort Con '01 f)1'lict-"s ,

. n Vie.n fro 1 fuur tv t·· ~nt -1' i T m loy .8 , n ir

B rlin .r-rorrt if,.t to t, (,Ilt - 11 stil ..... th ) flee";:')

in !l r l' tIl se ;"l <.It tute tf at tn ':)'k c .ti l:l ti

t be f)V r 'h 1 i w una they UdlC ttll. t fIrth l' t:J.ti i tG41 •

Sh'1l 11 i v -n tn I •

In H o'i11(.,) t-:> t.e "'o~ ct 1 8. ti - i h

vll Pads,' I't C ntrol 0f ic ... i st 18

. 11 .ur ov ~ ·n0

n z ch lo~ ki , it R ~cp rt 1 t.~t

to b t. a t -0. n.

the rl'. nt .

it h' s b en '1 cirl d t 'f'in ')6 , vi. a f ...

r.zecho ]ovt:k nation&ls f ' Ort thf- 1st A iI , Cl39 .

t) dtlte , ov r ~)' J , t') () vis' e . C".1V( b p.

, .. ante to l' f'u es l' om T'ffiGlny . n· nust i fln'" no ,

und r th ne .. seh 1 , f i e tir t=. in to

th : S 1 i d. ~)Ifl itt

hi h

111 rs by

f J S fEdlil .

ulder the llr (;; follo'in cate uories :-

to eO!11 to

tl' Un ' t n r

S,:) Ot"H;) , C) ntr

B. n ef Ie.. S " •• J • r O. ill h as

train S itll vie' to ult ' nat

/r"t I ..., .

{ f' GCf~S OV r t...h , CO "1 0

u p tn s ttle in th Unit ut

I'th t _ 0)1' £ t

h'~ ne' eh i 1 n t

C) · tr'ol 0 fie rs abroa he f

c> '(jl t L .. I .1'Y n ny tho s n 1 1" 1.1'

t! 'i ' c ont.l. n t ri e

in tll ') 'dintt1' th ! 01 Offi t the

r' t 0f ,0 ' 2n c! d y .

It 1 ncr' usi .... ly 1 i fT' e It t ) r !r" it

xtra ta f 1"0' th

mo"'p. f l1y us I h v u to

th na J11 lIn n mb r 0

vis' us~ r

C 1t """01 s vi ' ,s may .1lV to

11

6. The Home Secret.::·.ry reported t~lQ.t many persons were

expected to seel>: refuge here trom ... :'ustria. !Ie t'elt

gx-cat reluctance itl. putting aaother obstacle in the way

of these ~ortwlate people. A curious story had

reached him (from U.I.-5), suggestinG that the Germans

were anxious to inundate this country \vi tll Jews, with

view to creating a Jewish problem in the United Kingdom.

The Cabinet agreed -

Tlld:. the question of raf.'ugeea 1'rom Austria should be dealt wi 1h by the following U1nisters:

The :~ome Secretary (In the Chair) The Secretcry of state for Foreign

;~fairs (or representative) The President of' the Doard of' Trade

(or represent~tive). The 1:1nister of Labour,

who villen dealing wi th the question \vould bear in mind the points r.lent1onecl by t:'le Home Socretary regarding the importance of adopting as h.umane an at t1 tude as poss1 ble, and at the SElme time o-r avoicling the creation of a Jewish l'robler.l in tllis count~y.

-8-

Extract from Conclusion of a Meeting of the Cabinet held at 10 Downing Street on 13 March 1938. Sir Samuel Hoare was Home Secretary.

- .. 9 - 16 7.

8 no bl ~or r orud o~

raecutloD. in other rts o"r

ror,

and rr all

t they coul rr

1n ~nc nt I'll the ion

4

wlth alpa 7 orpnl ed nd mbera o~ t

p rt,.. aDd 1n 8 v ea

1 oted. 88 ongoinga orbld r ere • inoon en I'D 01 111

bJ' a det nc or offic1 1

roteotlon lth 1ntlng or nd condon d b,. h

tl the all

or1 112 1 • t

r ho 1n c tlem whioh I' ubll0

DO th re 18 o~ 41 re B In-rl1oted u on

1n the dal1 routine 0 11~. to

t J 8 have b n un d 11 rs 8 in

r o-t erre t ep it Itterent

Diaht. The 108 or n t10na11ty and

o t d

b,. the pollee, and livin on te

drlyen to dt au te 8

ot to 11evlatlng ~ 1 tr

itl h

• Suoh ca 8

we a t birth

nd

h r Britl h n tlon 1 tbe country or ake o~ her

o I1dr n, an also n th hop ~ t in t , d in 0

culou w87. Igh be able to r join h r.

On h , 1n w loh I w con , ferr d to an D

Extract from Berlin Consular Report, 8 June 1938, sent to London by Sir G Ogilvie-Forbes, HM Minister in Berlin, on 13 July.

- 10 -

huabBn ~ 64 nd J 1 h wlre or 78 Teare or • e. 17 other t or a 1 tl.n--Dor!! W' D

(not 8 a) r h r

he tat a 1

or 1I1I1."~d who

88 1 t d her In the on

• med b the ade Group ot th

" t her b ould Dot be allow

on he lee th 7 YO 14

by his wire

eprlT d o~ hi right \0

returning to gland n

c ee ve 180 been por

con o~ rrla or or r \0 c lre ritl h

country.

h 01

plio,

nd hi.

al'D hi own

haa ob

r ltl

1

11

polio ,

rin

tJle

til. and 10D o~ "'I~.~

1JJ ct1 OJ) I or II Goyer_ent ve been

""7 OUJIPltAr •

•

1e now

8

• at

in

No. 1224.

(91fi31/38 )

My Lord,

On November

BRITISH EMBASSY,

BERLIN,

144

16th November,1938.

~szpan a young Polish Jew

Was admitted to the German Embassy in Paris and fired a revolver

at the first member of the staff whom he chanced to meet,

a Secretary na.med Herr vom Rath. The assailant on arrest

is reported to have justified lis deed as an act of revenge

for the cruel treatment meted out by Germany to his own

parents and to the Jews in general. ()l November 8th Herr

vom Rath who was attended by Herr Hitler's O\vn personal doctor

and a surgeon specially sent to Paris by the Chancellor, died

of his wounds.

2. This was the signal for a national persecution of the

Jews in Ge~any on a scale and of a severity unprecedented

in modern times. Before the victim died certain punitive

measures such as the suspension of Jewish newspapers and a

ban on the possession of firearms had been taken and plane no

doubt were laid for further action, should the worst occur.

This unfortunately was the case and on the password ttFackelzug

ohne Fackel- the attack was launched in the small hours of the

morning of Thursday, November 10th.

9th life in the capital was no~a1.

until midnight an the

on the morning of the

10th the general public awoke to witness an orgy of destruction

and terror. Allover Germany synagogues were burnt or

damaged and Jewish shops and business offices were broken into,

their stocks in many cases looted, their fUrniture and

fittings smashed. At many places particularly Vienna and

The Right Honourable The Viscount Halifax, K.G., G.e.S.I., G.e.I.E.,

etc., etc., etc.,

Munich ••••

Despatch No. 1224 from Sir G Ogilvie-Forbes, HM Minister in Berlin, 16 November 1938. (Also printed in Documents on British Foreign Policy 1919-39, Third Series, Volume III, No. 313)

145

Munich the Jews were threatened, assaulted and turned out of

thir homes. There were certainly many cases of suicide and I

think some of murder. I myself and members of the staff were

witnesses of the later stage of the excesses in Berlin which las~d

until well into the night of the 10th. Gangs of youths in plain

clothes and armed with poles, hammers and other appropriate

weapons were visiting the Jewish shops and completing the work

of destruotion, done in the early morning. In some cases the

premises had been entirely looted, in others the stock in trade

was only mishandled and scattered. And at one or two places

a crowd WaS gaping in silent curiosity at the efforts of the

owners to tidy up the debris. I especially noted the demeanour

of the groups which followed eaoh band of marauders. I heard

no expression of shame or disgust but in spite of the complete

passiveness of many of the onlookers I did notice the inane

grin which often inadvertently betrays the guilty oonscience.

All the time,with one exception, Messrs. Israels premises, no

police were in evidenoe and the fire brigades were ~ed out only

to prevent the flaaes of burning synagogues and other buildings

from damaging Aryan property. Nevertheless the police were

near enough at hand to arrest would be photographers of the

wreckage. Amongst those detained was the new Colombian

Minister who, escort and all, made a dramatic appearance at the

Kiniatry for Fcreign Affairs. The Minister was to have

presented his credentials next week. I now hear that Herr

Hitler will not reoeive him. In the evening of the lOtaDr.

Goebbels issued a proclamation expressing sympathy with the

people's indignation against the Jews but ~njoining that these

demonstrations •••

1 6

demonstrations should cease as the answer to t he Paris

murder would take the for.m of legislation or decree. This

order was g radually complied wi th and thus ended a day of

controlled mob violence which not only involved the sacrifice

in some cases of innocent life b~t caused immense damage to

private property, the amount of which cannot yet be estimated.

3. In the meanwhile the police who had studiously shut

their eyes to the pillage of the day, were a~sting hundreds

of male Jews on charges unspecified. It is believed that

they have been sent to concentration camps. All through the

week-end and even at the present moment private flats and

houses are being rei ded and the men 'taken away under arrest. Terror

stricken Jews fearful of capture have abandoned their homes

and are wandering about the streets or biding in the woods

.. round Berlin. I hear that conditions are even worse elsewhere.

4. On November 12th the first instalment at anti-Jewish

decrees as announced by Dr. Goebbels was published. The

Jewish commun1ty in Germany are fined one m1lliard marks

(£84,000,000) in punishment tor the murder of Herr yom Rath.

The7 are excluded from all economic activity in the Reich

as trom January 1st,1939. They must repair at their own cost

all damage done to their premises and forfeit to the State any

insurance claims. They are forbidden to attend theatres,

cinemas or cult~ral occasions of any kind. The possession by

Jews of weapons was also prohibited ~nder severe penalties.

Further supplementary decrees are expect d. In addit10n to

this, the sufferings at the Jews are aggravated by the fact that

thousands are not only wandering and homeless but also their

wives ••••

47

253

wives and families are denied the very necessities of life )

as so many people are terrorized against furnishing either

supplies or funds to Jews. Increasing numbers of such cases

are coming to my notice. I also learn, though I have no

present means of chsk1ng the nuabers, that hundreds of Jews

are, in desperation smuggling themselves across the frontier

and that the Jewish suicide rate never low in these times has )

alarmingly increased.

5. I will noW otfer some oomments on the present poaition and

on the immediate future. I think that the murder of Herr vom

Rath by a German born Polish Jew has only accelerated the process

of elimination of the Jews whioh has for long been planned.

This project had it proceeded according to schedule was cruel

enough, but the opportunity offered by Grynszpan's criminal

aot bas let loose foroes of mediaevel barbariaa. )(Odern

civilisation has oertainly not changed human nature. Kuch

stress is also laid on the point that this murder was an act

of aglression against the German Reich on the part of international

Jewry, for whioh German Jeys in the power of the Reioh will pay

dearly now and in the future. Dr. Goebbels bas olearly

announced that any attaok on the German Government by international

Jewr.y or their alleged associates will without fail be visited

on the Jews in Germany. In spite of statements to the oontrary

there oan be no doubt that the deplorable excesses perpetrated

on November 10th were instigated and organised by the GOVernment.

The attaoking parties commenoed operatiOns at a giVen hour and

singled out with uncanny precision Jewish shops, buildingS and

places ••••

254

plaoes of business and it seems that not many mistakes were

made. In the same way as they had begun, the attackers

oeased operations on t he word being given by Dr. Goebbels who in

his publio utterances oondoned what had been done. Inartioulate

though the mass of the people may hRve been, I have not met

a single German of whatever class who in varying measure does

not to s~ the least disapprove of what has ocourred. But )

I tear it does not follow that even the outspoken condemnation

of pro~essed national-socialists or ot senior officers in

the Army will have any inf'luenoe over the insensate gang in present

control of Nazi Germany.

6. The present position of the Jews is indeed tragic. In

spite of Dr. Goebbels grudging admission to Reuters Agent

on November 15th that he had allowed certain Jewish cultural

associations to be reopened, the civilised world is confronted

with the sight of over 500,000 people deliberately excluded

from all trades and professions and consequently unable to earn

a living. They dwell in the grip and at the mercy of a

brutal oligarcAJ, which fkrcely resents all humanitarian foreign

intervention. Kisery and despair a r e alrAady there and when

their resources are either denied to them or exhausted,their end

will be starvation. The Jews of Germany are indeed not a

national but a world proble. which if neglected contains the ...

seeds of a terrible vengeance. They are to be find £84,000,000. 1\

The question ot utilizing the proceeds of this levy to assist

Jewish emigration from Germany is one which merits serious

examination.

7. The action I have taken to proteot Br1t1sh interests to~as

the ••••

the sub~ect of a separate despatch. I am glad to report

that the oases of damage which have so far been brought

to ~ notice are few.

I have the honour to be,

With the highest respect,

)(y Lard,

Your Lordship's most obedient,

humble Servant,

BGI66qH l

BRITISH PASS PORT CONTROL OFFICE

Re' "I

r-: t'."'" .

'\, \,'f' v",t\\\" \',' ,t',\., .. ,."

\'\\'~ 1\»\ \" , .. ".

\,\('~ .. , .. BERLIN. VV.3 5.

T H:RGARTE:N3TRASSE:. 17

RUPPEL r i e qUPPEL

21 - XI - 3

lch teile Ihnen mit , dass ioh die Erlauhnl s des Home Office (London) erhalten habe C Ihren Pass zur Einreise nach England zu visieren, .

Ihnen 1st elne Aufenthaltsdauer von

12 Monaten ~kYot19't~

bd>e:x

enehmigt worden.

Ich bitte S1e gelegentli~h en noah gdl t18en Pass bei uns vorsprechen zu ~ ~ denselbe n an uns durch die Fos t samt Port 0 e' V lsum3geb~lhr betr~gt RM . 8 . 30. t durch Nachnahme erhoben .

ROt OFFICf R B

Facsimile of notification from Frank Foley to the Ruppel family that they had been granted permission to travel to England by the Home Office, 21 November 1938.

wish grat10n

nto alestine.

256

The Secretary o~ State sald that the

Palestine position had been dif~icult enough

before the latest persecution of the Jews had started,

but was now more di~f1cult still. He understood

that the Jewls1 Agency gOing to put

before him proposals an

increase in the Jewish lmmdsration into Palestine.

If the matter was looked at simply from the point of

view of the present economic absorptive capacity of

Palestine, it was clear that large numbers of Jewish

immigrants could be admitted to the country. In

particular, it was impossible to object on econo~c

grounds to a proposal which had been mooted that a

large pumber of small children should be admdtted to

Palestine, where they would be received by existing

ram11ies. The me. t ter , however, was no tone whi ch

co~ld be considered Simply in its economdc aspects.

If the ~gration schedu1es were to be extended, the

result might well be to make the London discussions

imposs1ble. Neverthele s, he was consulting the

H1g~ Co~ssloner with a view to seeins whether there

was any action .. ich could be taken to assist Jewiah

~igrant8, w1thout prejudicing the success of the

London discussions.

The Secretary of State emphas1sed that in

his view the major oons1deration must be to do

nothing which woul.d prejUdice the London discussiona.

We had now embarked on ~e policy of d1s0U8810 ith

both parties in Lo on, and e DIU t do nothing Which

would prej~~1ce that policy.

11 -

Extract from Conclusions of a Meeting of the Cabinet held at 10 Downing Street on 22 November 1938. Mr Malcolm MacDonald was Secretary of State for the Dominions and Colonies.

lNUTE.

We in this office ha e warned Jews and Jewish

organisations here of the danger of proceeding to Shanghai.

They refuse to listen to us and say that Shanghai under any

conditions in infinitely better than a Coneentration Camp in

Germany. One can perhaps understand their point of view.

2. We refuse to grant a visa viA British ports en route

to Shanghai unless the passport of the refugee bears a

Chinese visa for China. The Chinese authorities here

grant visas only in exceptional CircUMstances, but Chinese

consulates in other countries (U.K. for instance) are granting

them apparently easily. We refuse visas with a triple purpos~

(a) to prevent refugees from overflowing into Singapore,

Hong Kong etc.; (b) to try to make their adventure ~possible;

(c) to confine them to German and ~talian ships and therefore

territory.

3. A similar movement is taking place to Siam. Germans

do not require visas ~or Siam; Poles do, and the Si8mese

grant them visas without difficulty. I am at a loss to

see how these unfortunate people will be able to live in Siam.

4. An effective preventive control can be only in ShanghaL

It is useless to talk to the Ge~ Government whose declared

object "is to destroy these people body and soul; it makes

no difference to them whether destruction takes place in

Germany or in Shanghai. I rather think preference would be

given to the Far East as their shipp ing companies are paid

:for the freight. One has to remember that the 4eclared

wish of the N.S.D.A.P. is that Jews should "verreclten".

If' they have to "verrecken", it is of minor importance to the

Party where the process takes place, but it might be considered

humane on our part not to interfere officially to prevent the

Jews ~rom choosing their own graveyards. They would rather

die as ~ree men in Shanghai than 8S slaves in Dachau. The

people ••••

Minute from Frank Foley to Sir G Ogilvie-Forbes, HM Minister in Berlin, on the emigration of Jews to Shang­hai, January 1939, sent to London on 17 January.

24 people who sail for Shanghai have usually been warned to

leave Germany within a few weeks or enter or return to a

Concentration Camp. They know the horrors of a Concentration

Camp, but remain hopeful about Shanghai in spite of warnings.

5. I have warned the Hilfsverein again.

6. lt is not possible for me to report the number of

re:fupea proceeding t"rom German and I ,talian ports, but I am

of opinion that the movement will continue to the utmost

capacity of ships sailing east.

(sgd) F. FOLEY.

TO BE ENCODED.

For_----'BII&jL~' R ..... L_1-...JNL..S.. ____ _

Follo~~ng from C.S . S.

Only .

Telegram CX542 from Rear Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair, Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, to Frank Foley, Head of the SIS Station in Berlin, 9 March 1939. (The letters were struck through in the process of encoding. 'Your YP'denoted the British Ambassador at Berlin, while 'ZP' denoted the Foreign Office.)

( ) attac a det iled stat ent i regard to the

er ot: v sas Y'·nt .... 0 ref'ugees 958 (when

the visa as rei posed for Austrians an r, rman ) and 31 . ;.?c)

(?) All ref'ugee visas are gr nted a a p.~ul t of

authoris tions granted by the orne frice direct or through

the edium of' t e Refugee Committee'" hose lists of' names

e ove by ,e orne Office .

(3) ThA Home S cr tary must , the 'efo e b informed 0

he f'ig res of visas authorised .

(4) s st, iet'cs · ... f vis e n h ve re che

, , a.ve r the att ntior f the l' ns

D ... tmen to the lar !ling ay

( .) \ ~ I ve al ay b e ' u leted

OJ that the f'lo 1 ns s likely

to urtil t e abin t de id s u - 01 a Co!' _ .... e of poli

( ) r 0 t 1 tl~ t at p "or rtion of the

,f'u ees W 0 have obtain d Br·tish vi '8 ve .ot ye

in he do , ith t.h ~e ult that t Ho 1e Office

a p ar sre~ d y f'e;u es. r ai tain , 0 ever , h t

y f'ilJ 1 ~8 represe t an lltimate liabi1 ty and hat t e

t se pe ill co e to t i c u try

soo e . or 1 ter .

(7) OU lil .... remelYJ.b, . th t on 4 . 2 . 39. ou d

• emoran U 0 this subject to the _ome Seer' tary. At that

tir.le, t e total of refllZ e vi s r nted 1 s a proxi tely

nO, o. ':'he ... ace at hich v' 8 S h v been aut orised by he

Home Office since tnat d' te hr s 'ncrea,;;.d .

. 39 .

Memorandum from the Director of Passport Control to the Inspector General, Passport Control, April 1939, sent from the Secret Intelligence Service to Sir Alexander Cadogan, Permanent Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, on 27 April 1939,

T=D NT] ·.R or·' VISAS RA r D

FROM 1 . 5 . 38 . to 31 . 3 . 9 .

G~RMANY 5 , 566 ( Berlin ld Prov ince I

VI-w. 17 , 126

PRAGUE 2, 01

1 , 842 and Pr vi ces)

4 , 238

BRU S LS 2 , 008

3 , 14'

• A SA 248

~UDAP 'ST approx : , 200

B ~r~GRAD It 500

SI/;AI.JLER CONTROLS tI 500

79 , 271

Note : The e fig Ires 0 not irlCl' de 4 ,000 cl ildren who

hay orne in ithou v s and a lar.;.l e mbe of

Jzechs who arri ve before . 4 . 39 .

t1 7

"

Dear Dr. Arian,

Tiergartenstraase 17,

Berlin, VT .:35.

July 6, 1939.

It is very pleasant to hear from you again, and it is very kind o~ you to say such nice things about th"e work of this o:f:flee. We wish we had the power or roroer days so that we co~d come to the help or thousands instead of a few hlmdreds.

You must be very happy to have your mother with you again. I was particularly pleased when ber certificate arrived. She WAS the envy or all the ~artunate people who were in the offioe.

Conditions are getting worse and worse ~ere for the Jews. I dread to think: o~ the misery _ and suffering they - especially the older people -will have to :face next winter. Their:funds are running low, and they do not know where they will :find aocomoda t ion. The quota is a calami ty, e~ec1all~ in these days o£ rabid persecution and permanent cold pogrom.

The courage and .fortitude o:f the Jews are beyond praise. They have our profound admiration.

Dr. D. Arian, P.O.Box 69, , Tel Aviv.

Yours sincerely,

r~ 'I/{')

Letter from Frank Foley to Dr D Arian in Tel Aviv, 6 July 1939.

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