Such has been the refugee movement which began with the rise of Hitler to power in 1933.

THE ASSAULT ON THE JEWS

The first victims of the Nazi assault on civilization were the Jews in Germany, a small minority numbering 499,682 according to the German census of June 16, 1933. Although they constituted only eight-tenths of 1 percent of the total population, they were a convenient scapegoat because of their geographical and occupational concentration. About 70 percent were living in cities of 100,000 or more population, and about four-fifths resided in Prussia. Despite this concentration in large urban centers, no German city had so large a Jewish population as such European cities as Lodz, London, Moscow, Budapest, and Warsaw, or such American cities as New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Since the German Jews were concentrated in commerce and the liberal professions, their influence could easily be exaggerated. As a matter of fact, they constituted only 3.3 percent of the Germans engaged in commerce, only 2.3 percent of all engaged in the professions. Only in law and medicine, traditional professions among the Jews, did they constitute comparatively large proportions, 16.3 and 10.9 percent, respectively. But though the Jews formed less than 1 percent of the German population, they played an important role in scientific, political, and cultural life, far out of proportion to their numbers.

Against this helpless minority of half a million souls the force of Nazi fury was directed. Those who had sufficient foresight and the financial means migrated early with a considerable part of their possessions. Those who hesitated were first deprived of the means of livelihood and of their civil rights and property. Then they were ostracized and segregated, tortured in concentration camps, driven out, or killed. By the close of the war, there were only some 20,000 Jews remaining in Germany. The Nazis went so far as to persecute not only those who were Jews by religion but also those who had even one Jewish grandparent. PROBABLY FOUR OUT OF EVERY SIX JEWS IN EUROPE WERE KILLED DURING THE WAR

Refugees who succeeded in escaping from Nazi terror in Germany to other European countries soon found themselves pursued by the Nazi hordes invading one country after another, and were forced to flee again. The extension of Nazi domination also stirred up new refugee movements from the invaded countries where minorities, both Jewish and Christian, were subjected to the same kind of treatment as in Germany. What had taken the Nazis years to accomplish in Germany was brought about in Austria and Czechoslovakia in the course of a few months. Poland became the central slaughterhouse of Nazi victims. Practically no country in continental Europe escaped Nazi domination or influence.

War and fascism have uprooted and displaced many millions of people in Europe. Among them were millions seeking to escape from persecution. Only a small proportion of them succeeded in escaping the Nazi terror. Most were killed, either directly in extermination camps or indirectly through disease and starvation. Of the approximately 6,000,000 Jews living in Europe outside of the Soviet Union in 1933, over 4,000,000 were killed by one means or another. How many anti-Nazi Christians were killed is unknown, but the number was small compared to the Jews who were the main victims.

Of those who escaped the Nazis, many found shelter in various European and overseas countries. Some countries, such as France, offered a temporary haven,

1 Outside of the Soviet Union.

and others, especially Sweden and Switzerland, a more lasting place of refuge. Estimates of the number of refugees, Jewish and non-Jewish, admitted into countries other than the United States vary widely. The following may be taken as rough guesses of the number admitted, at one time or another, into the most important refugee-receiving areas: France (including north Africa), 800,000; Palestine, 150,000; Great Britain, 140,000; Latin America, 125,000; Italy, 116,000; east African Colonies, 90,000; Switzerland, 80,000; Sweden, 44,000; Shanghai, 30,000; Spain, 18,000; and Canada, 6,000.

HOW MANY REFUGEES CAME TO THE UNITED STATES?

There are no official figures on the number of refugees admitted to the United States, since refugees are not separately classified under our laws. All aliens are admitted to the United States either as immigrants for permanent residence or as nonimmigrants for temporary stay. Refugees are subject to the same eligibility requirements as all other applicants for admission. Since it is the motive for immigrating that distinguishes the refugee from other immigrants, and since the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service does not record motives, it is necessary to resort to an estimate of the number of refugees.

This estimate is based on the number of arrivals in the United States since 1933 who were born in what came to be Axis-occupied or Axis-dominated countries. To this list of countries Spain has been added, since its civil war led to a fascist regime that resulted in a refugee movement from that country. Russia has been included because many individuals who had been born in Russia but were living as emigrees in other countries came here as refugees. The list of countries of refugee emigration thus includes all of Europe except Great Britain, Eire, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland. If all the immigrants admitted to the United States ESTIMATED NUMBER OF REFUGEES TO UNITED STATES

318,235 TOTAL 243,862

EACH FIGURE REPRESENTS 10.000 PERSONS

*Includes Germany for the entire period 1933-44 and Austria for 1938-44.

from the refugee countries between 1933 and 1944 were refugees, the maximum number of refugee immigrants, as seen in the accompanying chart, would be 318,235. Since, however, most of these countries were not Axis-occupied or dominated as early as 1933, this estimate should be reduced by eliminating the number of immigrants arriving from European countries other than Germany

prior to 1938. This year has been selected as marking the period when German aggression against other countries began and it became clear that there was no escape from Axis domination. Thus calculated, the total number of refugee immigrants admitted to the United States would be 243,862.

As seen in the graph on page 121, the period, 1938-41 marks the peak of refugee immigration. After the entry of the United States into the war only a few refugees were able to reach this country.

In addition to the refugees admitted on permanent visas as immigrants, some refugees arrived here as so-called "nonimmigrants,' or visitors, on temporary visas. The total number of visitors admitted from these same countries during the entire period of 1933-44 was 293,976., Arrivals from Germany since 1933 and from the other countries since 1938 totaled 196,432. Even if we assume that all of them were refugees, the number of such nonimmigrant refugees remaining in the United States is not large, because most of these nonimmigrants left the country. Only 34,037 more visitors entered the country than left during the 1933-44 period. Some of the visitors who left reentered later on permanent visas, in which case they were included in the figures of immigrant aliens admitted. Although exact figures are lacking, official reports indicate that only about 15,000 refugees remain here on visitors' visas. These are mainly persons who were granted an extension of their permits because they were unable to return to their homelands. TRENDS OF IMMIGRATION

THOUSANDS

1820 1830 1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940

Aside from the refugees who entered this country under our immigration laws, approximately 1,000 refugees were admitted in 1944 outside of the regular immigration procedure and placed in an emergency shelter at Fort Ontario, near Oswego, N. Y., under the authority of the War Refugee Board. This group was made up of persons of various nationalities who had fled from their homelands to southern Italy. They were brought here for the duration of the emergency.

Our immigration laws were not changed during the period of refugee immigration. Neither were the quota requirements altered. Indeed, owing to the economic depression and the threat of war, the enforcement of our laws became more severe. A new visa procedure was introduced to prevent the entry of aliens whose admission might endanger public safety. Visa control was centralized in the State Department, and all applications for admission were carefully examined. These new regulations were time consuming, with the result that often

individuals were unable to leave in time to save their lives. Some administrative measures, on the other hand, were adopted to make the immigration of refugees less difficult. In the case of children unaccompanied by their parents, the affidavit of designated child-caring agencies was accepted in place of the usual guaranty of support by individuals. About 1,000 children were brought over under this plan. In granting visas, preference was given to those who were able to escape so as to make full use of the places available under the quota. Our immigration laws were administered justly. They were not modified for the benefit of the refugees despite the tremendous urgency of the situation.

1933 34 '35 '36 '37 $38 ? 40 41 42 43 44

The figures given above refute the rumor that a million or more refugees have been admitted to the United States. Indeed, the total number of immigrants from all countries during 1933 to 1944 amounted to only 528,549, and that from Europe the source of refugee movements- was only 365,955. Moreover, it is worth noting that during the period 1933-44 only 16.8 percent of the total number of aliens from Europe admissible under our quota law have entered the United States. This was due to a strict interpretation of the immigration laws because of the economic depression, and, later, because of wartirae restrictions. In fact, as shown by the graph on page 121, the total number of immigrants admitted during this period was smaller than at any other period during the last century.

WHAT PROPORTION OF THE REFUGEES ARE JEWS?

While Jews constitute a minority of all recent immigrants, they make up a majority of the refugee group. Assuming that all Jews from Europe were refugees, we find that the Jews would constitute 51.5 percent of the gross estimate of the number of refugees (see chart on p. 121). If, however, the refined estimate is taken, they would make up 67.6 percent of the total, which may be considered the more accurate estimate. This percentage does not include an appreciable number of Christians who were declared Jews by Nazi decrees. Among the Christian refugees in general, there are more Protestants than Catholics, the ratio being approximately three to two.

NATIONALITIES REPRESENTED

The relative numerical importance of the various nationalities arriving here as refugees can be seen from the chart on page 121. The findings of the Committee for the Study of Recent Immigration from Europe agree in general with the estimates, which are based on official immigration statistics by country of birth. In some cases, however, these findings suggest certain modifications. For example, only a small minority of the Italian immigrants were actually refugees, not more than 4,000. The Italian refugees, therefore, should rank much lower. The Germans and Austrians rank first among the refugees, and the Poles, Czechoslovaks, Russians, French, Italians, and Hungarians should follow in this order.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE REFUGEES

WHO ARE THE REFUGEES?

The refugees differ in a number of ways from the immigrants who came to the United States in the two or three decades immediately preceding 1933. To begin with, they include more women. A larger proportion of the refugees are 45 years of age or over. A higher percentage are married. Although the refugee movement is fundamentally a family type, there is a large number of separated families. There is also a large number of young children, since their escape was made easier by the help extended by various social agencies.

REFUGEES AND EARLIER IMMIGRANTS COMPARED

One of the most striking differences between the present-day refugees and other earlier immigrants is to be found in the kind of jobs they held before coming to this country. According to official immigration statistics, an unusually large proportion of the refugees were engaged in professional and commercial fields and white-collar occupations. The proportion of skilled workers was less than normal, while the proportion of farmers, unskilled laborers, and servants was far below average. Of those who had engaged in business and industry before coming to this country, some 25,000 were merchants and dealers, about 5,500 agents, and 1,800 manufacturers. Physicians were the most numerous among those in the professions, numbering about 5,000. Other professional groups included approximately 3,500 college professors and school teachers, 2,500 technical engineers, 2,400 clergymen, 1,900 scientists and literary men, 1,800 lawyers, 1,200 musicians, 800 actors, and 700 artists.

In contrast to the earlier immigrants, a good many of the refugees who came here were relatively well off. This was particularly true of the refugees who arrived in the middle 1930's, when it was stil possible to rescue a part of one's fortune. Educationally, too, the refugees were exceptional. By far the most of them had gone beyond the elementary school level, and nearly half had attended college or graduate school. They were primarily a city group with a cosmopolitan outlook, many of them having come from the largest cities of the continent. A considerable number of them had traveled widely and knew languages other than their own.

HOW ARE THE REFUGEES DISTRIBUTED?

Although the majority of the refugees, like other immigrants, arrived at the port of New York, they are to be found in practically every State of the Union. Following the distribution pattern of our immigrant population, they are concentrated in the East, particularly New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts; in the Middle West, especially Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan; and in the Far West, especially California. They have settled mostly in the larger cities although a good many live in small towns and rural areas. York City, the largest center of immigrant population and the main port of entry, has absorbed a larger number of refugees than any other city in the United States. The distribution of the refugees throughout the country has been determined largely by the location of their relatives and friends, job opportunities, and the resettlement program of the various refugee service agencies.

THE REFUGEES BECOME AMERICANS

DIFFICULTIES FACED BY REFUGEES

New

The task of becoming adjusted to American life is difficult enough for the ordinary immigrant in normal times. He finds himself in a strange environment, with different customs, laws, language, and ways of life to which he must adjust.