PhDThis thesis is an historical account of the British
government's regulation of the immigration to the United
Kingdom of Jewish refugees in flight from Nazi persecution.
The focus of the study is the administration of immigration
controls, with particular emphasis on the groups of refugees
for whom entry was possible and the conditions subject to
which they were admitted. The administrative process is also
examined in the context of policy. The results of the
government's efforts to control the influx are set against
policy goals, in order to assess both the extent to which
the quest for control was successful, and the extent to
which it led to unintended consequences. The relationship
between policy and procedure is thus a key theme of this
study.
The bulk of the thesis is concerned with policy-making and
administration within government, and is based on documents
in the Public Record Office(PRO). Other sources used include
private papers of ministers and officials, records of Jewish
organisations, archives of refugee committees and
interviews, listed in the bibliography. The material largely
concerns the work of Whitehall departments, interdepartmental
relations and activities at Cabinet-level. Home
Office policy and practice are covered in particular detail.
The contributions of other government departments,
particularly the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Labour and
the Treasury, are also discussed. Another important topic is
the policy-making and administrative role of nongovernmental
organisations, especially refugee committees.
The introduction is followed by a chapter outlining the
legal and administrative history of immigration control
since 1905. succeeding chapters deal chronologically with
the British response to the immigration of Jewish refugees
from 1933 to 1942. The conclusion discusses whether British
policy was humanitarian or self-interested. Two appendixes
contain brief biographical notes on persons relevant to the
thesis and a list of Home Secretaries and Home Office
Permanent Under Secretaries