Selected records from the Library of the United Nations Office at Geneva
Extent and Medium
52, 818 digital images, JPEG
Creator(s)
- Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees
- League of Nations. High Commissioner for German Refugees
Biographical History
Founded in the wake of the First World War, the League of Nations was established in order to provide the world with relief from armed conflict. The Covenant of the League of Nations forms the first part of the Versailles peace treaties of 1919 and 1920. The formal life of this organisation began on January 10, 1920 and its inauguration occurred on January16, 1920 with the first session of its Council in Paris. The Covenant outlined the goals, organs, procedures and commitments of the League, which headquarters was set up in Geneva. As an essentially political organisation, the League was entrusted with keeping peace through international law, arms control, conference diplomacy, and the idea of collective security. The League of Nations was officially dissolved on April 18, 1946 and its assets were transferred to the newly established United Nations. Source: Wikipedia
The Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees (IGCR) was organized in London in August 1938 as a result of the Evian Conference of July 1938, which had been called by President Roosevelt to consider the problem of racial, religious, and political refugees from central Europe.
Archival History
United Nations Office at Geneva. Library
Acquisition
Source of acquisition is the United Nations Office at Geneva. Library, Switzerland. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives received the collection via the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s International Archives Project in December 2017.
Scope and Content
Selected documents from two major record groups in the holdings of the Library of the United Nations Office at Geneva: the High Commissioner for German Refugees, Autonomous Period (1933-1936) and the Intergovernmental Committee Conference at Evian (1938-1939). These records relate to the Evian Conference as well as to Jewish refugees seeking to flee from Nazi persecution. Includes records pertaining to the British Mandate of Palestine, situation reports on various countries in Europe, and correspondence with Jewish communities in Europe and refugee organizations worldwide such as the Jewish Colonization Organization, the Jewish Agency for Palestine, and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.
System of Arrangement
Arranged in three series: 1. Refugees from countries invited by Germany. Refugees Mixed Archival Group (Nansen Fonds) (1919-1947). Registry files (1920-1947). League of Nations External Fonds (1920-1937); 2. Refugees from Germany and Austria, 1933-1945; 3. Legal, Mandate and Political Sections, 1933-1941 (Installation of refugees on African territories; situation in Romania, Austria, Germany, and Hungary)
Conditions Governing Reproduction
Copyright Holder: United Nations Office at Geneva. Library
People
- Nansen, Fridtjof, 1861-1930.
Corporate Bodies
- HIAS (Agency)
- Jewish Agency for Palestine
- High Commission for Refugees (Jewish and Other) Coming from Germany
- National Board of the Young Men’s Christian Associations
- American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
- Red Cross and Red Crescent
- Canadian Jewish Congress
- League of Nations
- Friends General Conference (U.S.)
- Jewish Colonization Association
Subjects
- Jews--Persecutions--Germany--History--20th century.
- World War, 1939-1945--Refugees.
- Switzerland--Politics and government--20th century.
- Refugees--International cooperation
- Humanitartian assistance.
- Europe--Emigration and immigration--History--20th century.
- Africa--Emigration and immigration--History--20th century.
- Evian Conference (1938 : Evian-les-Bains, France)
- Belgium.
- Palestine--Emigration and immigration--History--20th century.
- Refugees, Jewish--Europe--History--20th century.
- Refugee -- Humanitarian assistance -- Associations, institutions, etc.
- Refugees--Legal status, laws, etc.--Europe--History--20th century.
- Displaced persons--Europe.
- Jews--Europe--History--20th century.
- Germany--Emigration and immigration--History--20th century.
- World War, 1939-1945--Diplomatic history.
- Holocaust Jewish (1939-1945)--Europe.
Genre
- Reports.
- Registers.
- Circulars.
- Correspondence.
- Document