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Excerpt from "Report to the Governments of the United States and the United
Kingdom from Their Delegates to the Conference on the Refugee Problem Held at
Bermuda, April 19 -29, 1943."
COMMUNIQUE
The United States and United Kingdom Delegates examined the refugee problem in
all its aspects including the position of those potential refugees who are
still in the grip of the Axis Powers without any immediate prospect of escape.
Nothing was excluded from their analysis and everything that held out any
possibility, however remote, of a solution of the problem was carefully
investigated and thoroughly discussed. From the outset it was realized that
any recommendation that the Delegates could make to their Governments must pass
two tests; would any recommendation submitted interfere with or delay the war
effort of the United Nations and, was the recommendation capable of
accomplishment under war conditions? The Delegates at Bermuda felt bound to
reject certain proposals which were not capable of meeting these tests.
The Delegates were able to agree on a number of concrete recommendations which
they are jointly submitting to their Governments and which, it is felt, will
pass the tests set forth above and will lead to the relief of a substantial
number of refugees of all races and nationalities. Since the recommendations
necessarily concern Governments other than those represented at the Bermuda
Conference and involve military considerations, they must remain confidential.
It may be said, however, that in the course of discussion the refugee problem
was broken down into its main elements. Questions of shipping food and supply
were fully investigated.
The Delegates also agreed on recommendations regarding the form of
intergovernmental organization which was best fitted, in their opinion, to
handle the problem in the future. This organization would have to be flexible
enough to permit it to consider without prejudice any new factors that might
come to its attention.
In each of these fields the Delegates were able to submit agreed proposals for
consideration of their respective Governments.
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