America DID turn away people fleeing from Hitler. We used a strict quota system and only allowed 27,370 immigrants each year from Germany and Austria combined. We made no special provision for Jews or others under attack from Hitler. In 1939, a bill in Congress to allow 20,000 Jewish children to enter America as refugees failed. America did not reach out to the the refugee ship St. Louis in1939. Roosevelt refused to issue executive orders to admit refugees from Germany because such a high proportion of Americans were anti-immigration and he was up for re-election. We could have saved thousands more German lives but we did not. Less certain about the other nationalities in places conquered by Germany. It happened very quickly. Even Hitler, vicious as he was, may not have burned millions had other nations organized to accept refugees. Far too late to speculate.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 13:34:53 +0000
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