"Refugees," Proof of Article for Britannica Book of the Year

This proof is intended as a guide in preparing the article for the next Britannica Book of the Year. slavia. The flow of refugees from Yugoslavia in earlier years had been in manag proportions. From the spring of 1956 to December increased from 400 to 1,000 monthly. Another from Yugoslavia were entering Italy monthly by way of Trieste in the fall of the year. All available camp facilities in both countries were overcrowded before the flight of Hungarian refugees into Austria bega November. On Nov. 5, 1956, Austria appealed to the ments of the western world for assistance through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Intergovern- mental Committee for European Migration. These governmental bodies, the United States Escapee program and the voluntary agencies had previously been assisting to secure the emigration of refugees from Austria and to integrate those who could not qualify for emigration in the Austrian economy. Appeals were immediately sent to the governments of western Europe and of overseas immigration countries to receive the refugees either permanently or in temporary asylum. Former army barracks and other hastily opened to house the refugees, were soon over d more than one-third of the refugees had The influx of Hungarian refugees into Austria in to be pl hotels and private homes. The response of Refugees Nov. and Dec. 1956, consequent upon the politi- the govern of the people in the various countries was cal upheaval and military repressions in Hungary which began spontaneous and generous, although never quite adequate to meet on Oct. 23, constituted one of the largest refugee movements in the needs of the numbers involved. Europe since World War II. By Dec. 9, 1956, more than 130,000 The offers of secondary asylum, made by individual European refugees had entered Austria. The flow was continuing at the governments in terms of a few thousands initially, were soon rate of approximately 2,500 a day. While some effort on the part raised to tens of thousands and totalled more than 80,000 by of the Hungarian and Soviet military to prevent the refugees early December. Some neighbouring governments sent trains and from leaving Hungary was apparent, the controls at the border buses into Austria to collect the refugees as they came over were obviously ineffective and at times appeared to be either the border. Food, clothing and medicines were contributed along half-hearted or poorly organized. with cots, mess kits, soap and sanitary supplies. The Interna- Austria was ill-prepared to receive, house and feed such large tional Committee of the Red Cross and the League of Red Cross numbers suddenly seeking asylum with little more than the societies shared the task of receiving and distributing the sup- clothes on their backs. Already the host for approximately 30,000 plies furnished; the International Committee of the Red Cross refugees from eastern European countries and 150,000 Volks- assumed responsibility for distribution inside Hungary and the deutsche who had arrived at the end of the war and had not League of Red Cross societies for distribution to the refugees acquired Austrian citizenship, Austria had earlier in the year in Austria. granted asylum to increasing numbers of refugees from Yugo- The Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration assisted by the United States Escapee program and the voluntary agencies registered the refugees on arrival, assembled them for departure to other countries and organized trains and air flights. By the first week in December the number of refugees leaving Austria daily about matched the influx. More than 50,000 had been moved to other countries: 3,000 to Belgium, 2,000 to Canada, 1,000 to Denmark, 6,500 to France, 7,600 to Germany, 2,000 to the Netherlands, 2,700 to Italy, 3,000 to Sweden, 9,300 to Switzerland, 9,600 to the United Kingdom and 3,000 to the United States. As the capacities for absorbing refugees in the European asy- lum countries were nearing exhaustion, the movement of refugees overseas began in early December. The United States offered to receive 21,500, Australia 5,000 and Canada planned to accept approximately 6,500 by Dec. 3I, 1956, although no quota of ad- missions was established. The Latin-American countries also offered to receive approxi- mately 10,000. Helpful as those offers were, more than 70,000 refugees remained in Austria in mid-December as a heavy burden on the Austrian economy. During the year the governments of Spain and of the Union of South Africa joined the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration, thus raising its membership to 27 govern- ments. The organization was engaged in moving migrants and refugees out of the overcrowded countries of Europe who would not otherwise be moved. The committee moved more than I35,- Preservation Copy OOO migrants and refugees out of Europe during the year to overseas countries. Apart from the unusual movement of refugees