Refoulements et réfugiés en Suisse pendant la Deuxième Guerre mondiale Critique des statsitiques... et d'une ou deux autres choses

Abstract

Whereas the data on civilian refugees admitted by Switzerland during the war are accepted by all, the figures on persons turned away are much more uncertain. Everyone uses today the 1996 estimates by Guido Koller. It is shown that these estimates were calculated in a questionable manner and that they greatly inflate the number of civilian refugees who were turned away. If more recent and reliable figures are taken instead, the estimated admission rates turn out to be very high for the asylum candidates in general and even more so for the Jews among them ; the conclusion being that Swiss practice vis-à-vis the refugees during the war was actually quite generous. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that Switzerland did the maximum of what it could reasonably be expected to do. A general policy model vis-à-vis the refugees (then) and vis-à-vis the asylum seekers (today) is presented and explained.history; World War II; Switzerland; refugees; Bergier Commission