Establishment Of The Reich Central Office For Jewish Emigration
Establishment Of The Reich Central Office For Jewish Emigration, January 1939.
Source: Y. Arad, Y. Gutman, Abraham Margaliot, eds., Documents on the Holocaust ( Yad Vashem 1981) p. 125-6.
Berlin, January 24, 1939 Plenipotentiary for the Four-Year Plan
To The Reich Minister of the Interior Berlin
The emigration of the Jews from Germany is to be furthered by all possible means. A Reich Central Office for Jewish Emigration is being established in the Reich Ministry of the Interior from among representatives of the agencies concerned. The Reich Central Office will have the task to devise uniform policies as follows: 1. Measures for the preparation of increased emigration of Jews. This will include the creation of a Jewish organisation that can prepare uniform applications for emigration; the taking of all steps for the provision and efficient use of local and foreign funds; and a decision on suitable target countries for emigration, to be selected in co-ordination with the Reich Centre for Emigration. 2. The direction of emigration, including, for instance, preference for the emigration of the poorer Jews. 3. The speeding up of emigration in individual cases , by means of speedy and smooth provision of the State documents and permits required by the individual emigrant, through central processing of applications for emigration.
The Reich Centre for Emigration will be headed by the Chief of the Security Police. He will appoint a Responsible Manager and make rules for the operation of the Reich Centre.
Regular reports on the work of the Reich Centre will be forwarded to me. I will be consulted continuously on measures requiring decisions of principle.
In addition to representatives of other agencies involved, the Committee will include Ambassador Eisenlohr, who is responsible for official inter-state negotiations, and Ministerial Director Wohlthat, who is responsible for negotiations in connection with the Rublee Plan.
