The Refugee Problem, by Marcus Graham (1939)
Article from ‘Man!’, August 1939, Los Angeles, edited by Marcus Graham
A cable coming from Holland tells of the plight of three steamers loaded with Jewish refugees from Germany. The steamers themselves are unsafe, for they were abandoned by their owners. Some of the people aboard these ships attempted to enter Holland, but they were refused admission. Then, the steamers tried to land in Palestine, but this, too, did not work out. So, this human cargo aboard three unsafe steamers floats along the waters. And as they float along, many of the distressed heartbroken refugees bring their plight to an end by a simple act — suicide.
This situation reminds us of a similar plight when 918 Jewish refugees were refused admission to Cuba in June of this year.
President Roosevelt has invited the governments represented at the recent Évian Conference to meet in the nation’s capital next autumn for the purpose of discussing once again the refugee problem. When one realizes what was accomplished or not accomplished at the Évian Conference, one will readily see what can be expected of the conference to take place in this country within the next few months. All the governments represented at the recent conference expressed sympathy and pity for Jewish and all other political refugees; not one of them, however, showed willingness and readiness to open its doors to the refugees.
Every government has, at some time or other, enacted laws which categorize sincere honest men and women as racial or political refugees. When representatives of these governments assemble under the false presumption of alleviating conditions which they themselves created through their laws, we can say that this is the peak of brazen and heartless boldness. Therefore, it is obvious that no sane person can or should hope for any aid or relief from such a set-up.
England, France and the United States, the true “democracies” of the world, are not to be excluded from this set-up. In fact, these very “democracies” are waging rabid yet unheralded campaigns to deport, expel or persecute, in some way or other, their political and radical refugees. How can one expect them, therefore, to show consideration for a [rail]carload of human beings who are drifting along the waters of the Atlantic — men, women and children who have been driven away from their homes and their families?
The crux of the whole situation should be clearly understood by this time. Hitler can immediately stop the persecution of the Jews in Germany if the “democracies” would bring pressure to bear on him. This, however, would require sincerity on the part of the “democratic” powers, an attribute which cannot be assigned to them. After all, neither fascism or nazism could have progressed and advanced so swiftly had it not been for the underhand approval and support given them by the powers of England, France, United States and Russia. Yes, even the “proletariat” dictatorship of Russia closes its doors to the harmless refugees or fully investigates each case while it carries on business transactions with Germany and Italy.
We feel that the refugee problem will be solved only when the social problem itself is solved. Until then there will always be the political and racial refugee who, like the Jew, has been the target for persecutions, tortures of all forms and utter unbearable unhappiness.