I have posted earlier documents from the Joint Distribution Committee (the Joint) that I found in the JDC Archives. Today I am including text from some of the memos written in August 1945 regarding the Drottningholm passengers stranded in Istanbul since April. We read about Helene’s experience in the February 2 post where she describes her nomadic life during her first few months in Istanbul. She had no idea what was going on behind the scenes.The letters below help us understand the complexity of the situation. We see that despite the best will in the world to free prisoners and help them reunite with their families, politics, bureaucracies, diplomacy, and economics served to make life for these refugees difficult indeed.
From an August 8, 1945 from Arthur Fishsohn in Istanbul to Judah Magnes at the Joint in Jerusalem:
Ref. No. 92
Dear Dr. Magnes,
Re: Drottningholm refugees
I was in Ankara on August 2nd and reviewed with Mr. Packer the entire matter of the Drottningholm passengers still detained here. Mr. Packer arranged an appointment for me with Mr. Celal Osmarr Abacıoğlu, Director General of Turkish Consular Affairs (of Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
Mr. Abacıoğlu insisted that the Turkish Government did not know of the presence on board of Drottningholm of any of the Jewish passengers until the ship was about to arrive at Port Said (he stated that the boat had been reserved only for Turkish diplomats and students). The Turkish Foreign Office, he said, then promptly cabled London stating this group was unknown to the Foreign Office; had no right to be on the ship and asked London to permit all of the group to be landed at Port Said and from there to be permitted to go to Palestine. However, by the time London was advised, the boat had already left Port Said and was Istanbul bound. At the request of Mr. Packer and for “humanitarian” reasons, the group was permitted to land here. Mr. Abacıoğlu took the further position that much latitude has been shown by the Foreign Office in accepting as nationals a number of persons who had really forfeited their claim to Turkish citizenship. With respect however to the group that is still interned, Mr. Abacıoğlu stated that not only had they lost their Turkish nationality status long before their arrival here but that they have no documents, no relatives, no resources and little, if any, connection with anything Turkish. He felt, under all the circumstances, that his Government had been very fair and that the United States or any other Government would not have acted differently.
Before visiting Mr. Abacıoğlu I had thought to point out that the Swiss representative action on behalf of the Turkish as well as the German Government had permitted the Jewish passengers to board the Drottningholm; that accordingly the Turkish Government was bound by the act of its agent and for that reason should, at least, free from internment the entire group and permit them to stay here as refugees until arrangements could be made for their emigration to Palestine or other countries. Mr. Packer (with whom I discussed this prior to my appointment with Mr. Abacıoğlu) however, felt that it would serve no useful purpose to bring up this point. Accordingly in my discussion with Mr. Abacıoğlu I asked that the interned group be freed on a bond or guarantee to the effect that any member of the group would be produced whenever the authorities wanted him. Mr. Abacıoğlu at first stated this could not be done, later asked what was done in such matters in the U.S. When I explained they would be freed either on their own recognizance or on bond, he inquired how much “time” I wanted. I asked him a minimum of 3 months and he replied that he would take the matter up “unofficially” with higher officials but thought that it would make his presentation of the case more difficult to ask for “such a long period”. …
I related to Mr. Packer my discussion with Mr. Abacıoğlu who agreed that it was difficult enough to do anything even in three months. Of course, Mr. Packer will do what he can to press the matter of release of the group at least on bond.
In my letter No. 87 I mentioned that 21 of the group of 46 persons who had been released on June 21st, were ordered reinterned but that Mr. Brod’s personal guarantee was accepted by the police here, so that these people still remained free, although of course their nationality status is now in doubt. I had thought to discuss this matter with Mr. Abacıoğlu on two counts; first, to inquire into the reason for the reinternment; second, to ask that the form of guarantee given by Mr. Brod for the 21 should be accepted for all of the remaining internees. However, it was brought to my attention before I met with Mr. Abacıoğlu (through a very responsible source) that it might be best not to refer to this matter at all, at this time, as the Foreign Office might be unaware that a guarantee for the 21 had been accepted by the police and accordingly I might be stirring up some unnecessary trouble.
Certificates have been obtained and arrangements are being made for 17 additional persons to leave for Palestine within the next ten days to two weeks. …This will reduce the number of people in hotels to 49.
As I indicated in a previous letter (Ref. No. 87) we expect to have available the children’s camp in Burgas for use by about 40 refugees. We had hoped this would be by the 20th of August. It appears now, however, that we cannot get the camp until the middle of September. Expenses will be sharply reduced. However, this will not solve the ultimate problem of repatriation of these people. All of them are in fact “stateless”. It may be possible in a few individual cases to convince the Consulates of the countries where they were previously residing to grant them visas (so far we have had no luck in this respect). The only solution I can see is obtaining Palestinian certificates for some more of these people and getting the assistance of our own State Department and War Refugee Board (I understand the W.R.B. is going out of existence at the end of this month), in interceding on behalf of the remaining refugees with the Governments of the countries where they should like to return.
Sincerely yours,
Arthur Fishsohn
From an August 16, 1945 letter from Arthur Fishsohn in Istanbul to Donald Hurwitz at the American Joint Distribution Committee in New York:
Ref. No. 46 August 16, 1945
Dear Don,
Your letter dated June 6th reached me only today. It had been misdirected by the postal authorities to Tehran, but finally found its way back to Istanbul. …
The volume of work here has increased greatly in the past few months, specifically since “V E Day”. A good deal of this work has had to do with detailed arrangement concerning shipments of supplies into the Balkans. You know what a headache it is to arrange for shipment of human cargo – you had the experience when you were in Lisbon, but you will probably find it hard to believe that so many involvements can develop when one tries to arrange for shipment of supplies to the Balkans….
The Drottningholm matter has become almost a cause célèbre, but even here the situation is becoming brighter. Out of an initial 116 people interned in hotels, we now have 50. They are not Turkish nationals and so cannot be repatriated here. We are doing everything possible to get the consuls of the various countries where they resided before the war, to grant them visas even tho’ they are not nationals of such countries.
Heretofore, the Consuls were adamant in their refusals to consider these cases. Now however, it looks like they are beginning to give way. It will still take a lot of urging and pressure but we hope that in the not too distant future we will be able to get these people back to their “old” countries….
From an August 18, 1945 letter from Arthur Fishsohn in Istanbul to Judah Magnes at the Joint in Jerusalem:
Dear Dr. Magnes,
Re: Drottningholm
There are now 50 internees left. Since my last letter on this matter (Ref. 92), the possibilities of getting visas for the internees for the countries where they had previously resided and to which they wish to return, appears somewhat brighter. There are 16 persons who wish to return to Belgium and the Belgian Consul here will now accept their applications for visas and has indicated he will do everything possible to obtain their issuance. The Dutch Consul (there are 14 in this category who wish to go back to Holland) will consider the question of granting visas and hopes to advise us shortly on this matter. The Italian group (there are 10 people) also appear to have fairly good chances for visas to return to Italy. As a matter of fact, three or four persons have already received visas in the past several days and also the required permission of the Allied Central Commission in Italy to return to that country. We have 3 persons in the French group and the French Consulate is presently considering their applications.
This change of thinking on the part of various consulates has taken place very recently as up to now they have refused consistently to consider visa requests for persons other than their own nationals.
Such people as obtain visas will of course be looking for transportation costs because none of them have any resources. Should the matter of such costs be left to the HICEM here? If not, I should like to receive authorization to pay these costs. I will have to use American Dollars so that it will be necessary to obtain additional funds from New York for this purpose or New York might permit me to use some money from the $50,000 recently sent me for freight transportation charges…
I have heard nothing yet from Ankara with regard to the matter of the guarantee for the interned group, but have written Mr. Packer about it and hope that he may soon have some favorable news…..
From an August 27, 1945 letter from Arthur Fishsohn in Istanbul to Simon Brod in Istanbul:
Dear Mr. Brod,
On Saturday Mr. Mazon spoke with my Secretary on the telephone and indicated that the Burgas House will be available to us for the “DROTTININGHOLM” Refugees beginning September 10th, 1945.
It is necessary however to make arrangements to sign a lease or contract for the premises before we take possession. I would appreciate it if you would have Mr. Mazon confirm this conversation and obtain any other details that may be necessary, in order that we do not have any further hitch in connection with this matter. It is possible also that we may have to visit Burgas for the purpose of being in a better position to make plans for the number to be admitted etc. If so let me know and we will arrange a fixed time to make this visit….