Geneva}
Oùtcoer 26thj 1921.
TSPJRTSE Off IttZlQ W S o
SAJIOTOG
OF
SUSSIAff REU'ÜGFÆS
Correspondence petween
AT
Sr=
COESTAIEPIjgOPLE.
?fensea
and the _F r ench C4overiiment e
Ifote by theJ|fs:ore;sayVr-G-enpral
The following doou ment g are ciruniated for the
Information of the Ccuncil and the Members of the League :
"le
Letter from Dr = ^anssn to
Erl and,
dated September 22nd ? 1921 «
2»
Eeply from the French Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, dated September 30th, 1921 »
3=
Letter from M* ffrick, Deputy High Commissioner
f o r Russian F.afngoea, to the French Ministry
for foreign Affairs, dated October 13th, 1921.
ipy &H S 1
9
t
j -
QP .
G rO ïlO V a.,
September 2 2nd $ 1921,
Your ÏÏhcselienoy,
The F re n c h Government, t h r o u g h i t s B e p r e s e n t a t i v e a on
the C o u n c il o f t h e League o f IJ a iio n s , v a s good enough t o
f u r t h e r my e l e c t i o n a s High Commissionor f o r th e R u s s ia n
R e fu g e e s .
I have g r e a t p l e a s u r e i n t h a n k i n g you f i r s t o f
a l l f o r t h i s mark o f t ic n f i d e n o e and i n a s s u r i n g you t h a t though f u l l y aware o f t h e magnitude) o f t h e t a s k which th e
League o f H â t i o n s h a s u n d e r t a k e n - I am n o t w it h o u t hope
t h a t m e a s u re s may tie t a k e n t o r e l i e v e more o r l e s a
d e f i n i t e l y t h e u n f or tu n a t e s i t u a t i o n o f most of t h e R u s s i a n
E efugaos.
I t i s n o t f o r me t o p o i n t o u t t o Your E x c e ll e n c y
t h a t a l t h o u g h i n a l l E u ro p e a n c o u n t r i e s th e s t a t e o f t h e s e
u n f o r t u n a t e p e o p l e i s p i t i f u l enough, t h e i r s i t u a t i o n i n
C o n s t a n t i n o p l e and i t s n e ig h b o u rh o o d i s r e a l l y t r a g i c .
For
many m o n th s , t h e F r e n c h Government Lac nor no th e h e a v y
b u rd e n o f s u p p l y i n g t h e n e e d s o f t h e s e unhappy p e o p le ; i t
h a s expended v a s t sumo f o r t h i s p u r p o s e an d has th u s gone
f a r beyond w hat c o u ld bo r e a s o n a b l y e x p e c t e d o f any Govern­
ment w h ic h was a n x i o u s t o f u l f i l i t s d u t y t o h u m a n ity .
The R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f th e F r e n c h Government Im re ,
how ever, on s e v e r a l o c c a s i o n s drawn t h e a t t e n t i o n o f
c h a r i t a b l e i n s t i t u t i o n s to th e f a o t t h a t t h e Government
would soon f i n d i t i m p o s s i b l e t o caTry on t h e heavy work
i t had u n d a r t a k e n , and a t t h e v e r y moment when I a c c e p t e d
the a p p o i n tm e n t a s High Connais s i oner o f th e League o f
H â t i o n s , th e F rench Government in form ed t h e C onference
convened a t Genova t h a t i t would b r
c o m p elled t o ai. a con­
t i n u e a l m o s t im m e d ia t e ly t h e r a t i o n i n g o f th e Eu^3Lan
B e fu g e c s a t C o n s t a n t i n o p l e , w hich up to t h a t tim e had been
1j
(
so g e n e r o u s l y c a r r i e d ou t b y t h e French, a u t h o r i t i e s *
T his d e c l a r a t i o n p l a c e s me i n an e x t r e m e l y awkward,
p o sitio n »
I had hoped t o "be a b l e t o c o n c e n t r a t e a l l th e
e f f o r t s o f t h e High Commission on m easures c f e m i g r a t i o n ,
of t r a n s p o r t from one c o u n t r y t o a n o t h e r , o f o r g a n i s a t i o n
of l a b o u r „ - m e a su re s f o r th e f i n a l s e t t l e m e n t o f t h e
p o s i t i o n cf t h e m a j o r i t y o f t h e s e r e f u g e e s w hich would
a l l o w th o F re n c h Governmsnt t o r e l i n q u i s h i t s h u m a n i t a r i a n
work w i t h t h e knowledge t h a t a l l t h o s e whom it, load a s s i s t e d
h i t h e r t o w ere b e i n g p r o v i d e d f o r i n o t h e r c o u n t r i e s «- »
The a n n o u n c s m e n t„ how ever, t h a t t h e French Government
i n t e n d s to su sp en d t h e r a t i o n i n g o f t h e R u s s i a n Hofugsee
a t C o n s t a n t i n o p l e t h r e a t e n s to r e n d e r i m p o s s ib l e t b e a c t i o n
whioh th e High Commission o f t h e le a g u e o f N a tio n s had
p ro p o s e d to t a k e , and r a i s e s a g a i n t h e param ount n e c e s s i t y
o f f i n d i n g t h e ô . a il y b r e a d o f w hich t h e s e u n f o r t u n a t e p e o p le
s t a n d i n im m ediate n eed »
I w o u ld , t h e r e f o r e , beg Ycur Ebr.oelloncy to r e c o n s i d e r
t h i s m a t t e r ..
I s h o u l d b e i n f i n i t e l y g r a t e f u l i f t h e .French
Government - r e l y i n g on t h e e f f o r t s I am making t o e v a c u a t e
from C o n s t a n t i n o p l e a s many o f t h e r e f u g e e s a s p o s s i b l e , a n d
to s e e u r e f o r 1*1,1 o f them a chance t o e a r n t h e i r l i v i n g ~
oould p o s t p o n e f o r a s h o r t t i n e th e e x e c u t i o n o f i t s d e c i s i o n
to d i s o o n t i n u e th e r a t i o n i n g o f t h e R u s s i a n R e fu g e e s a t
C o n stan tin o p le «
T h is s t e p a l o n e would e n a b l e t h e High
Commission Off t h e League o f N a ti o n s by r a p i d and e f f i c i e n t
work t o f i n d a f i n a l s e t t l e m e n t o f t h i s problem»
I beg t o a s s u r e y o u r E x c e l l e n c y o f my f u l l c o n f id e n c e
i n tho g o o d w i l l
t h e F r e n c h Government, and t r u s t t h a t i t w i l l
r e c o n s id e r th e m atterc
I h a r e t h e honour t o b o .
(S ig n e d )
iV M E M , ' .
High Commissioner f o r th e
R u s s i a n R efu g ees »
0 His Excel]® noy "
Monsieur B r i a n d ,
^ r e s i d e n t o f t h e C o u n c il ,
M in is te r f o r A rraign A f f a i r s o f the
french R ep u b lic,
PARIS.
•-**
4
: + -*
nvajwl &^ i on »
igt r x o t
A ffair s
.
Par i s ,
September 3 0 t h , 1921 -
S ir ,
I n y o u r l e t t e r d a t e d September 22nd
good enough t o draw
l a s t you were
toy a t t e n t i o n to th e n e c e s s i t y o f
c o n t i n u i n g , f o r a t i m e , t h e r a t i o n i n g o f t h e R u s s ia n
Refugees a t p r e s e n t i n t h e C o n s t a n t i n o p l e a r e a 6
As you p o i n t e d o u t , t h e .fTrencii Government has expended
l a r g e sums on t h e m i n t e n a n o e o f th e R u s s i a n R e f u g e e s ; b u t
has c o n s i d e r e d t h a t i t
c.an no l o n g e r b e a r t h e heavy b u r â s n s
to w hich i t had on p u r e l y c h a r i t a b l e g ro u n d s h i t h e r t o co nsented*
A n x io u s , h o w e v e rs t o a s s i s t a s f a r a s p o s s i b l e i n th e
work w h ich you have u n d e r t a k a n > a n d a s s u r e d t h a t e v e r y e f f o r t
w i l l be made to e x p e d i t e th e e v a c u a t i o n o f t h e r e f u g e e s s t i l l
i n C o n s t a n t i n o p l e # • I have d ec l d e d , i n a c c o rd a n c e w it h your
w ish e s o n l y t o re d u c e s u p p l i e s by an amount c o r r e s p o n d i n g t o
t h e number o f r e f u g e e s l e a v i n g C o n s t a n t i n o p l e .
At th e end
o f a g r e a t an d d i f f i c u l t u n d e r t a k i n g , t h e Government o f t h e
R e p u b lic w is h e s to make i t c l e a r t h a t F ra n c e h a s f u l f i l l e d
i n e v e ry r e s p e c t and i n t h e most l i b e r a l s p i r i t th e m is s io n
which she f r e e l y u n d e r t o o k 3
(S ig n e d )
BEE2HSI0T*
F r i d t j o f Ifan sen }
High Commiss i o n e r f o r t h e R u s s i a n Beat^^ees
League of N a t i o n s ,
Geneva °
Genova,
October 1 7 th , 1921 *
S ir,
I beg to convey t o you. on b e h a l f o f Dr. Nansen,
my deep g r a t i t u d e f o r your l e t t e r of September 30th
I n which you informed us o f your d e c i s i o n only to reduce
s u p p l i e s by an amount corresp on d in g t o the number o f
r e f u g e e s l e a v i n g C o n sta n tin o p le*
1
The High Commissioner o f the League o f B â tio n s
h i g h l y a p p r e c i a t e s t h i s f r e s h p r o o f o f the s p i r i t i n
which France has h i t h e r t o f u l f i l l e d th e m is s io n which she
f y e e l y u n d e r to o k ,
The work i n which the League o f
H â tio n s i s engaged w i l l c e r t A i n l y be forwarded by th e
d e c i s i o n o f th e French Government.
I have the honour, e tc *
(S ig n e d )
A.B. #RIC£.
Deputy High Commissioner f o r
R u ssian R e fu g e e s .
His E x c e ll e n c y
The M i n is t e r f o r .foreign A f f a i r s ,
P A H X S.