Chapter 65 Chapter 64

At the beginning of July, the envoy of the American Legation in Bern received Leslie again after a long time.Letter from Slote.Since the German occupation of the south of France, ordinary mail from the United States has not been received, and there have been no official mail packets.But the neutral country's diplomatic mail package provided an informal route for letters and reports to and from.A friend of Slote's at the Swiss Foreign Office brought this thick envelope to Tuttle - met him for another matter, handed him the envelope after the conversation, without saying a word. Said and left.

Dear Bill: First of all I must apologize because the memo I have attached regarding the Bermuda meeting is written in illegible writing I am afraid.In order to nurse a sprained ankle, I can only lie in bed and do a book.I have resigned from the Foreign Office, so I have no office or secretary. I sprained my ankle due to an accidental skydiving.It's a changed Leslie now scribbling a few lines for you.Slot!I've always been a - to put it mildly - a timid person.But after leaving the State Department, he went to the Office of Strategic Intelligence.Since then, I have been on the run, not knowing where to stay.I do, however, have a sense of pleasure, a fresh albeit disconcerting feeling, like that of a man who falls out of an airplane and finds himself enjoying - however briefly - the view around him as he falls Like a cold breeze.After skydiving yesterday, the image of the fall has been recurring in my mind: a horrific nightmare that, while frightening, is also ecstatic.

Of course you know about OSS.I remember General "Crazy Bill" Donovan pissing you off when he passed through Bern last year.It was a makeshift intelligence team, a unit of extreme eccentricity.Obviously, I can't tell you much about what I'm doing.But I'm on to something; it does give me relief after being out of the State Department.I've been through a professional catastrophe, but things are moving so fast that I don't have time for self-pity. Bill, the State Department is a palace, and all the beauties in it have been kidnapped.What was left was a group of eunuchs squeaking and doing nothing all day long.Foreign policy was largely dictated by Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Hopkins; the remainder by General Donovan's team.The eunuchs in the State Council continued to distribute official documents in name only, and the value of these documents was not much different from that of scrap paper.

If all of this sounds harsh, remember that I've ruined my profession, giving up ten years of valuable credentials because I think it's the truth.What the State Department did at the Bermuda Conference ruined my career. Maybe it was just a matter of time.The Jewish question had developed into a cancer that afflicted me while Breckenridge.Lang could only worsen my condition to the point of insanity.Now I'm out of my misery and on the road to recovery. Lang transferred me to European Affairs, you know, to deal with Jewish issues.He was under extraordinarily high pressure to try to break an impasse that had developed over visas for refugees fleeing Hitler, while doing something for the Jews who were criminalized and exterminated in droves.He was a man in the water, desperately trying to grab straws.I think he's going to install in Corey a smooth-talking figure with a reputation as being "pro-Semitic," someone who can express unrestricted sympathy for the Jews despite having no real power to help them.And I think he's counting on me, as a good and loyal State Department hire, to carry out his policies, no matter how distasteful they may be.The real question is why I took the job in the first place.The answer is, I don't know either.I think I really hoped that Lang meant what he said, and I hoped that I could express my views on the Jewish issue, loosen the situation, make the relevant parties relax restrictions, and play a palliative role.

If I had hoped for that, I was deluding myself.From the beginning until I left in the middle of the Bermuda meeting, I hit walls everywhere.Overall, I'm for Breckenridge right now.Lang felt sorry.I don't even see him as the villain in the play.It was beyond his control to become such a character.He sent me to Bermuda for nothing more than to be a Christian Saul.Bloom, a supporting diplomat with a decidedly pro-Semitic attitude.One day, if need be, I can be mentioned in future congressional investigations.It may not be elegant to put my resignation on record, but I certainly have no intention of saving face for the State Department these days.

And what kind of face is this!How meticulously our State Department and the British Foreign Office have arranged meetings to avoid external pressure, challenge and controversy!Newspaper reporters are not allowed in.Labor leaders, Jewish leaders, demonstrators—the vast ocean kept the meeting from them.Spring flowers brought a bright view to Bermuda, and the meeting was held in a stunning hotel away from the new military base, and we had plenty of time to swim in the pool or drink a few glasses of the island's liqueur fine wine.After the evening's socials start, you can hardly remember that the war is still going on as you mingle with Bermuda's celebrities.

Poor Harold.Dr. Dodds - President of Princeton University, this time forced to be our head of delegation - begged me not to resign.But by the third day, I just couldn't take it anymore.I told him that either I would bring up the issue of Jews facing extermination (these Jews are off-limits at the meeting!) or I would fly back to Washington and resign as my diplomat and Dodds was alone of.He can't make me go against the policies he has to follow.I just have to go so that I at least retain a little bit of self-esteem. Discussions at the meeting have not yet been released.The State Department is now frantically citing the need for secrecy as an excuse for the need to "protect measures aimed at aiding political refugees."And what Messrs. Hull and Long had in mind was that the interest in the meeting would fade away.That way they never have to publicly tell the truth.But this concern will not go away.There will be increasing pressure to reveal the truth, which, when revealed, will shock the world.

From my memo you will get a glimpse of what is really happening in Bermuda.Do you remember that dreadful document that I received in the Berne cinema that recounts the Wan"Lake meeting? I cannot be sure of the authenticity of this document, but the events that have taken place since then have been thoroughly corroborated. Unless President Roosevelt acted quickly, or history would conclude that the Jews of Europe died between the hammer of Wannsee and the anvil of Bermuda. The American people under Roosevelt and the German people under Hitler would equally Condemned for this massacre! This is a brutal distortion of the truth, but that is exactly what Blake Long did.

You knew Roosevelt very well.I am sending you this memo for your own discretion.It provides an unambiguous and precise warning of the impending developments after the Bermuda Conference, not just for European Jewry, but also for Franklin.Delano.Roosevelt's reputation in history and certainly affected the moral status of the United States in the world after the war.It is imperative that you read this memorandum carefully, and consider whether it may be amended or supplemented in any way you deem fit, to be sent to the President for his perusal. Hurricanes always strike by surprise, Bill, and by the time the temporary measures were put in place, the storm had wreaked havoc.The killing of the Jews by the Germans was a storm.This is unprecedented.The massacre took place under the smokescreen of a world war, in a rogue state cut off from civilized society.Otherwise, this situation is impossible.It took a long time for people to see the truth, and it was exhausting to act accordingly.But all efforts to alleviate suffering will be forgotten in years to come.In retrospect, the Bermuda Conference will be seen as an inhuman farce co-directed by the US and the UK to avoid any action when millions of innocent people were killed.

Just Blake.As long as Lang remains in charge, this distortion will continue to deepen and become indestructible, but the ultimate shame will not be borne by him, because he is a small person at best.In time, people will forget about him.If it is still the Bermuda Conference that makes the final say on Nazi atrocities, Franklin.Roosevelt will go down in history as a great American president.He led his country out of depression and to victory worldwide; but he was fully aware of the horrific massacre and yet he failed the Jewish expectations of him.Don't let this happen, Bill.Give the President an advance warning!

In order to preserve my personal sanity, it is my intention by this memorandum to sever completely the connection with which I have been incidentally associated with the world's most horrific atrocities.This responsibility has never been mine, unless it is said to be shared by everyone.The world has so far rejected this responsibility.I tried, but failed, because I was a helpless, insignificant little man.This memorandum, written in blood—Jewish and mine—is a legacy to me of experience. Yours truly, Leslie.Sloter's attached memorandum dated June 3, 1943, was written in scribbled, illegible handwriting on standard-length yellow letterhead.william.Tuttle saw at a glance that it was the bitterness of a junior employee resigning in anger.Hasty tone, indulgent tone.That this timid man should accept a job that required skydiving training is ample indication of how upside down he was. The memo, though, caused unease in Tuttle.He was already skeptical of the Bermuda meeting.He hadn't slept well for two or three days, and he wondered what to do about it all.In his opinion, Blake.Lang has always been a very stable person, a refined and self-reliant gentleman, very knowledgeable, a seasoned horse, and by no means a villain in all respects. Still, Tuttle was unhappy with the recent order from the State Department.These orders prohibited the transmission of Jewish reports of extermination crimes from Geneva through State Department ciphers;He himself disliked detailing the horrors of the persecution of Jews, and he consistently dismissed the lack of response as bureaucratic delays or oversights.But if Long was responsible, and if he did it on purpose, maybe the president should know the truth.How should I tell him? In the end, he dramatically condensed Sloter's memo, stripping away its biting satire of Breckinridge.He sent the typewritten revision to Washington via the Swiss diplomatic post, along with a handwritten explanatory letter marked as an urgent letter addressed to the president himself. Dear Mr. President: The author of the annex to this letter had attended the Bermuda Conference as a member of our side, and then angrily resigned from his post in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in protest.He studied in the UK on a Rhodes Scholarship and worked with me in Bern.I thought he was a man of great intellect, always extremely reliable. I don't want to add to your heavy burden, but I am compelled to do so by two considerations: first, the doom facing the Jews of Europe; and second, your own place in history.This report may help to provide you with a supplementary material that reflects what actually happened during the Bermuda meeting that the official reports do not reflect.I'm afraid I'm inclined to believe Leslie.Slote's. Sincerely, the highest respect! Yours faithfully, Bill Confidential Memorandum 5 August 1943 Bermuda Conference: United States and Great Britain Conspire to Participate in the Extermination of the Jews of Europe - Historical Background Since early 1941 the German government has been engaged in a campaign to kill the Jews of Europe full action.The naked truth is so far beyond all previous human experience that no existing social institution can cope with the present situation. Because of the war, Germany has become an international outlaw, and only the German people can interfere with its actions.Through the terror of the police state, the Nazi regime had forced its people to submit tamely to its brutality.The sad truth, however, is that since Hitler came to power, popular resistance to the Nazi policy of persecution of Jews has remained minimal. The root of the Holocaust lies in the broad and profound cultural tendency of the Germans, a kind of desperate romantic nationalism, which is an extreme reaction to Western humanitarian liberalism.The savage self-aggrandizement of this ideology that glorifies military German "culture" has embraced it even when it has not blatantly promoted virulent anti-Semitism.This is a complex and elusive question.The philosopher Croce believes that this barbaric tendency can be traced back to a past event in Roman times, that is, the victory of Arminius in the forest of Fort Toito.This victory deprived the various tribes of the Germans of the beneficial influence of Roman laws and ways of life.Whatever the source, Adolf.The rise and popularity of Hitler shows the persistence of this tendency. The Dilemma of the Second Allied Powers The Bermuda Conference was held because the secrets of the massacre had been leaked.On December 17, 1942, the Governments of the Member States of the United Nations publicly and jointly issued a warning that sinners would be punished.This official revelation has created a strong public desire for action in both the US and the UK. Unfortunately, Adolf.Hitler hit the single Achilles' heel of Western liberalism in his tactics against the Jews. In addition to the Jews, the calls to action came from the press, churches, progressive politicians, intellectuals, and more.But all other forces are icy silent and indifferent, they block all action. What the Jews wanted in Britain was the opening of Palestine to unrestricted immigration, an obvious step aimed at relieving pressure from the Nazis.But the British Foreign Office believed that at the present stage of the war it could not risk Arab opposition to the step.An equally obvious action for the United States was to pass emergency legislation to accommodate victims of Hitler's threats.But our extremely restrictive laws are the will of Congress, which opposes changing the "racial structure" of our country. Such a step could be taken if Allied liberalism was the policy of the government, not something between an ideal and a myth.But the truth is, Adolf.Hitler had put the Allies in a bind. Hence the Bermuda Conference.It opened with much fanfare and was presented as an Allied response to Nazi atrocities.The meeting produced a gesture of action to reassure those who demand action.And the fact is that nothing has been done to comply with current policy.This is mocking.Those slaves engaged in diplomatic activities have evil intentions and posturing. Their boastful words, bragging, lying, and downright corruption are all related to this. The greatest crime in all of this is the pathetic inaction in the face of the most horrific crime in history. That's the heart of the matter.In most people's minds, the Holocaust of the Jews was nothing more than a far-fetched newspaper report, which was obscured by major war news.This behavior of the Germans was so barbaric, so incomprehensible, and so different from the somewhat misogynistic sentiments which people everywhere had become accustomed to, that public opinion simply ignored it.In the flames of war, this is easy. The purpose of this meeting agreed by the three meetings is to "solve the problem of political refugees".The word "Jewish" was strenuously avoided in agenda items.Also, the only "political refugees" that can be discussed are those already in neutral countries.That is, those whose lives are guaranteed!These rules of procedure are confidential.Not a single word has leaked into the press. One day, the meeting minutes will be exposed to the world.These records will eventually show that it is all dry, sham stuff, diplomatic shaming, bumbling, incomprehensible repugnance.Every attempt to broaden the scope of agenda items has been frustrated.Every time suggestions for concrete action — even to relieve the pressure of refugee influxes in neutral countries — have been blocked.No funds or no ships; or no place to accommodate them; or these people pose too great a security problem, because spies or saboteurs may be mixed in among them; or the operation may "interfere with the war effort." Playing around is a set of tricks to shirk responsibility.Americans advocate North Africa and the Near East as places to host refugees.The British insisted on opening up the Western Hemisphere.In the end, they heartily agreed on negative conclusions; to create the illusion of action, they agreed to revive the moribund Refugee Commission, established by the also failed Evian Conference in 1938. It is easy to condemn those representatives who have to participate in such an almost naked dastardly business.They are nothing more than puppets carrying out the policies of their government and ultimately the public will of their country. Four Further Steps Necessary After the disastrous consequences of this conference, what more can be done? At best, there really isn't much that can be done.The Germans were bloodthirsty.Most of the European Jews were in their hands.Only the victory of the Allies can thwart their plot.But if we are willing to do what we can, we can still be exonerated from complicity in these Nazi crimes.As it stands now, the Bermuda Conference has turned the United States Government into an indifferent bystander of the carnage. About sixteen months from now, a presidential election will be held.By that time, it may have been a fait accompli that all European Jews would have died tragically under the butcher knife.The American people will then have a year and a half to reverse their insensitivity to this unbelievable act of terror.Evidence will abound.It is conceivable that with B the invasion of Europe will have been achieved, and some concentration camps where the Jews were slaughtered will also be occupied.The American public is a humane people.Although today they are unwilling to "take in all those Jews," by the end of 1944 they will be looking for someone who is responsible for letting this happen.Those responsibilities will rightly fall on those in power today. The authors of this memo knew that the President was a true humanitarian who would gladly extend a helping hand to the Jews.But in this colossal global war, the issue is far from a priority.With so little room for action, and with the problem so daunting, who can blame Mr. Roosevelt for concentrating on other matters? The agitation for opening up Palestine or changing immigration laws seems hopeless.Plans to pay exorbitant collective ransoms and the suggestion of bombing non-military targets such as concentration camps were at odds with the main principles of warfare.However, certain things can and must be done. Five Short-Term Steps One of the most urgent and productive things President Roosevelt could do immediately was to remove the State Department, and Breckenridge in particular.Long's authority to deal with the entire refugee issue. Mr. Long is now in charge of the problem, and he is disaster personified.The unfortunate skeptic was in a perilous situation, driven by circumstances.He was determined to do as little as possible while preventing anyone else from doing more.He went out of his way to try to prove that he was right, and right all along, and that no one else could have been a more confidant friend of the Jew.Inwardly, he also seems to think that rumors of Nazi atrocities are mostly a clever way to circumvent immigration laws. State Department staff were drilled into this view.There are too many people who share his rigid, restrictive beliefs.Morale at the State Department, as well as its ability to carry out its humanitarian mission, is low.An executive body must be created that is empowered to explore every possible avenue for the salvation of the Jews and to take prompt action.Common-sense adjustments to existing visa regulations could immediately save a large number of Jewish people who are eligible to enter the United States under existing quotas.They will not pose a financial burden.Jewish associations will be able to provide almost any amount of relief money. Latin American restrictionism is based on our own restrictionism.Once the new institutions show Latin American countries that America's attitude has changed, some of those countries will follow in our footsteps. The new agency should immediately evacuate as many refugees as possible from the four neutral European asylums - Switzerland, Sweden, Spain and Portugal - to ease their burden and change their current "lifeboat full" attitude to welcome those And the attitude of Jewish fugitives who had the opportunity to reach their borders. The new agency should try to persuade congressional leaders to temporarily admit perhaps 20,000 refugees.If ten other nations of the world follow our example, this action will constitute a loud and clear signal to the butchers themselves and to satellite governments that have not yet handed over their Jewish nationals to the Germans that the Allies It means what it says. Because as the battle progresses, the massacre will eventually slow down and finally stop.Sooner or later, butchers and their accomplices are terrified.This turning point may come when 99 percent of the Jews have died or left, or it may come when 60 or 70 percent of the Jews have died or left.Presumably a lower figure cannot be hoped for; but even if it were to go that far, it would be considered a historic event. Leslie.Slot William.Tuttle did not receive notification of receipt of the letter after sending the letter to the President, and it has never been known whether the President has received his letter.As far as historical facts are concerned, after the truth of the Bermuda Conference was revealed, the public reaction gradually increased in 1943, and later reached the level of public outcry.On January 22, 1944, a White House executive order removed the State Department's authority to deal with the refugee problem.Under this order, a War Refugee Commission was established, an administrative body mandated to deal with "the Nazi program to exterminate all Jews."A new policy of vigorous U.S. rescue operations was launched.By that time, the hurricane had been raging for quite some time.