The Bermuda Conference was an international conference between the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

held from April 19 to 30, 1943, at

Hamilton, Bermuda Hamilton is the capital city of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and the main settlement of Pembroke Parish. A port city, Hamilton is Bermuda's financial and commercial centre, and a popular tourist destination. Its population of ...

. The topic of discussion was the question of

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

refugees A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

who had been liberated by Allied forces and those who still remained in Nazi-occupied Europe. The only agreement reached was that the war must be won against the Nazis. US immigration quotas were not raised, and the British prohibition on Jewish refugees seeking refuge in

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...

was not lifted. The American delegation was led by Dr. Harold W. Dodds. The British delegation was led by Richard Law, a junior minister at the Foreign Office.

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An article in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' dated April 30, 1943, "Hopeful Hint Ends Bermuda Sessions", stated that the delegates had rejected recommendations that were not capable of being accomplished under war conditions and that would most likely delay the war effort. A week later, the

Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

Committee for a Jewish Army ran an advertisement in ''The New York Times'' condemning the efforts at Bermuda as a mockery of past promises to the Jewish people and of Jewish suffering under German Nazi occupation."To 5,000,000 Jews in the Nazi Death-Trap Bermuda was a Cruel Mockery", ''The New York Times'', May 4, 1943, p. 17. US Senator

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

withdrew his membership from the committee over what was perceived as an insult to members of the

US Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

, which had been involved in the conference. Szmul Zygielbojm, a member of the Jewish advisory body to the

Polish government-in-exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile (), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent Occupation ...

, committed suicide in protest at the outcome of the conference.The Last Letter From Szmul Zygielbojm, The Bund Representative With The Polish National Council In Exile
, May 11, 1943.

References

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External links

Bermuda Conference
from Yad Vashem's Shoa Research Centre
The Allies' Refugee Conference--A "Cruel Mockery" by Dr. Rafael MedoffBermuda Conference (Encyclopedia of America's Response to the Holocaust)
on The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies World War II conferences International response to the Holocaust History of Bermuda Bermuda in World War II Diplomatic conferences in Bermuda 1943 conferences 1943 in Bermuda The Holocaust and the United Kingdom The Holocaust and the United States 1943 in international relations United Kingdom–United States relations 20th century in Hamilton, Bermuda April 1943 in North America 1943 in Judaism Aid for Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany

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