Hotel Royal in Evian-les Bains, Site of the International Conference on Refugees July 1938 photo United States Holocaust Museum archive

A joke that is no joke:

Roosevelt, the president of the U.S., and a number of other nations called a conference to discuss the Jewish refugee problem in July 1938. 32 nations arrived. But the unwritten fine print of the invitations said: "We are coming to try to figure out what to do for the Jews, but no nation will be asked to take any more Jews than its quota already allows." The result was sadly predictable.

The big countries did not want more Jews, and were hoping that the small countries would take them.

Chief American Delegate at Evian Conference on Refugees photo United States Holocaust Museum archive

When the small countries realized that the big countries did not want the Jews, they were not going to take any either. With the exception of the Dominican Republic, no concrete offers of refuge were made.

The conference was a failure from the beginning. It had taken place in Evian, France. The newspapers of the world had a field day pointing out that the name "Evian" spelled backwards is "naïve." The outcome of that conference was that absolutely nothing was done for the Jews.

The Jews had finally realized it was time to leave Germany.

But there was no place to go.