Report—Development of United States Participation in Intergovernmental Effort to Resolve Refugee Problems, 1933-1961

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THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNITED STATES PARTICIPATION IN INTERGOVERNMENTAL EFFORTS TO RESOLVE REFUGEE PROBLEMS Foreword The primary objective of this treatise is to record the gradual development of participation by the United States in international particularly intergovernmental efforts to resolve refugee problems during the period 1933 - 1966. An attempt is made to appraise the role and the effectiveness of United States participation and the degree of leadership assumed. No attempt is made to write the histories of the successive organizations involved, many of which have already been published. A single exception is that of the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) which is still functioning. Where pertinent to the main objective, a discussion of proportionate U.S. financial contributions to the various organizations is included. Intergovernmental efforts to resolve refugee problems after World War I'and up to 1939 were conducted mainly by the Nansen International Office for Refugees, the International Labor Office, and the League of Nations. As the United States was not a member of the League, United States efforts in the refugee field, with few exceptions, were-unilateral during this period. Provisions for the protection of the civil rights of

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