in Marseilles not to grant visas to any Jews.
---
his opposition reflected general popular sentiment.
serious obstacles to any relaxation of U.S. immigration quotas
included public opposition to immigration during a time of economic
depression, xenophobia, and antisemitic feelings in both the general
public and among some key government officials. Once the United States
entered World War II, the State Department practiced stricter
immigration policies out of fear that refugees could be blackmailed
into working as agents for Germany.
It was not until January 1944 that President Franklin D. Roosevelt,
under pressure from an American Jewish community took action to
rescue European Jews. Following discussions with Treasury Department
officials, he established the War Refugee Board (WRB) to facilitate
the rescue of imperiled refugees. With the assistance of the American
Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the World Jewish Congress, as
well as resistance organizations in German-occupied Europe, the WRB
helped to rescue many thousands of Jews in Hungary, Romania, and
elsewhere in Europe.
Most sought to begin a new life outside Europe. Palestine was the most
favored destination of Jewish Holocaust survivors, followed by the
United States. Following intense lobbying by the American Jewish
community, Congress passed legislation to admit 400,000 DPs to the
United States. Nearly 80,000 of these, or about 20 percent, were
Jewish DPs. The rest were Christians from Eastern Europe and the
Baltics, many of whom had been forced laborers in Germany. The entry
requirements favored agricultural laborers to such an extent, however,
that President Truman called the law "flagrantly discriminatory
against Jews."
On Mar 29, 4:38 am, Bruce Majors <majors.br...@gmail.com> wrote:
> -------
>
> </mail/u/0/s/?view=att&th=1365c3393aa88009&attid=0.1&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1>
>
> </mail/u/0/s/?view=att&th=1365c3393aa88009&attid=0.2&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1>
>
> Who was Hiram Bingham and why is he getting a stamp?
>
> Just an interesting piece of evidence of the curious behavior of the
> Roosevelt administration toward the Jews during WWII :-
>
> Former Secretary of State Colin Powell gave a posthumous award for
> "constructive dissent" to Hiram (or Harry) Bingham, IV. For over fifty
> years, the State Department resisted any attempt to honor Bingham. For them
> he was an insubordinate member of the US diplomatic service, a dangerous
> maverick who was eventually demoted. Now, after his death, he has been
> officially recognized as a hero.
>
> Bingham came from an illustrious family. His father (whom the fictional
> character Indiana Jones was based) was the archeologist who unearthed the
> Inca City of Machu Picchu, Peru, in 1911. Harry entered
>
> the US diplomatic service and, in 1939, was posted to Marseilles , France ,
> as American Vice-Consul.
>
> The USA was then neutral and, not wishing to annoy Marshal Petain's puppet
> Vichy regime, President Roosevelt's government ordered its representatives
> in Marseilles not to grant visas to any Jews. Bingham found this policy
> immoral and, risking his career, did all in his power to undermine it.
>
> In defiance of his bosses in Washington , he granted over 2,500 USA visas
> to Jewish and other refugees, including the artists Marc Chagall and Max
> Ernst and the family of the writer Thomas Mann. He also
>
> sheltered Jews in his Marseilles home, and obtained forged identity papers
> to help Jews in their dangerous journeys across Europe . He worked with the
> French underground to smuggle Jews out of France into Franco's Spain or
> across the Mediterranean and even contributed to their expenses out of his
> own pocket. In 1941, Washington lost patience with him. He was sent to
> Argentina , where later he continued to annoy his superiors by reporting on
> the movements of Nazi war criminals.
>
> Eventually, he was forced out of the American diplomatic service completely.
>
> Bingham died almost penniless in 1988. Little was known of his
> extraordinary activities until his son found some letters in his belongings
> after his death. He has now been honored by many groups and organizations
> including the United Nations and the State of Israel.
>
> PLEASE honor his memory and re-send this.
>
> AND ASK FOR THE STAMP! [I think 39 cents is covers mailing a piece of
> bacon!] Steve
>
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