War Refugee Board

Background

Although Roosevelt and his administration felt compelled to assist Jewish Nazi victims, they were hesitant to do so, and creation of the WRB came late in the war effort. Anti-Jewish bias ultimately hindered implementation of the WRB's programs and rescue efforts. The United States wanted to help European Jews from afar, and under the condition that the country would not have to worry about potentially large influxes of Jewish refugees permeating U.S. borders. Although many Americans were outraged by the atrocities inflicted upon eastern European Jews, they were not comfortable providing any more than temporary shelter to this population.

As early as the fall of 1942, the United States was cognizant of the mass murder of Jews and other groups, including the Roma and Slavs, by the Nazi regime. The mass killings of Europe's Jews received heightened attention in 1943 and early 1944. The amplified documentation of Hitler's “Final Solution” pressured the U.S. government to take action. To the U.S. Treasury Department, it appeared as if the State Department, led by Breckenridge Long, was avoiding the issue of Jewish rescue, and the Treasury ultimately deemed the State Department to be an impediment to Jewish rescue efforts. The State Department, however, contended that the best way to save civilian victims of the war was to focus on winning the war. Ultimately, it was revealed that the State Department had been issued instructions to conceal information on the extent of Jewish persecution and to delay the issuance of U.S. visas to feeing Jews.

In response to the State Department's inaction, the Treasury Department prepared a report for President Roosevelt. On January 13, 1944, Henry Morgenthau, Jr., secretary of the Treasury, issued a memo to the State Department criticizing the agency for its relative inaction in the rescue of European Jews. The memo was titled “Report to [Page 2158]the Secretary on the Acquiescence of This Government in the Murder of the Jews.” Upon receipt of this memo, President Roosevelt was urged to act, and he established a government commission to assist in the rescue and relief of civilian victims of the Nazi regime. At this relatively late point in the war, the Roosevelt administration was still hesitant to be perceived as friendly to the Jewish population. However, Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9417 on January 22, 1944, establishing the War Refugee Board. This board was to be supported by all government agencies, including the Departments of State, Treasury, and War (currently Defense) and was to work to rescue the Jews who remained in Europe. The board was responsible for the evacuation of victims and potential victims of the Nazi regime, the establishment of safe havens to resettle persecuted individuals, and the delivery of materials and supplies to assist those in concentration camps.

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