FIFTH MEETING (PRIVATE) Held on Thursday, July 14th, 1938, at 5 p. m.

Chairman: Mr. Myron C. Taylor.

17. Report of the Technical Sub-Committee (Annex II).

The Chairman. óI submit for the approval of the Committee the Report of the Technical Sub-Committe.

M. Garcia-Oldini (Chile) [Translation]. óNow that the report of the Technical Sub-Committee is submitted for adoption, I would venture to recall the reservation that I made during the meetings of the Sub-Committee itself, to the effect that my Government, in accordance with the national legislation in force, is unable to accept any passport other than a passport regularly issued by a Government.

The report was adopted.

18. Draft Resolution submitted by the President with reference to the Report of the

Technical Sub-Committee (Annex III).

The draft resolution was adopted.

19. Draft of the Resolution with which it is proposed to conclude the Present Session

of the Intergovernmental Committee at Evian (Annex IV).

The Chairman. óIn submitting this draft resolution to the Committee, I wish to point out that it contains a recommendation to the Governments participating in this Intergovernmental Meeting and that, in consequence, our action binds the Gov'ernments only to the extent that they, in their sovereign right, decide.

M. Michael Hansson (Norway) [Translation]. óWhen I spoke in an earlier plenary meeting I said, in accordance with the instructions I had received, that the Norwegian Government felt a certain hesitationóa hesitation which had already been expressed by Lord Wintertonóabout setting up a new organisation to deal with refugees beside the League of Nations organisation. Nevertheless, the Norwegian delegation will gladly support the resolution which is now proposed, because it feels that the form that has been devised for the new organisation is a very happy one, so that there will be no kind of competition with the organs of the League of Nations, and that the work of the latter organs may rather be reinforced by the new body. Finally, and this is probably the essential point, the new body will make it possible to open negotiations at once with the Government of the Reich. In these negotiations, we shall be able to count on the active participation of the Government of the United States of America and the Governments of other countries which are not members of the League of Nations.

M. J.M. Yepes (Colombia) [Translation]. óThe delegation of Colombia accepts the resolution proposed to the Intergovernmental Committee assembled at Evian for the purpose of organising, on an international basis, assistance in favour of political refugees from Germany and Austria.

(i) That its adhesion does not involve tbe acceptance of any principle or any method implying intervention on the part of Colombia in the internal affairs of any other State;

That the Government of Colombia is offering to refugees such facilities for settlement as are authorised under the Colombian laws on immigration ;

That refugees admitted to Colombia will enjoy civil rights on an equal footing with Colombians, except in regard to such restrictions as are authorised under the Constitution of the Republic for reasons connected with internal public order.

The draft resolution was adopted unanimously.

Scheme for allocating the Cost of the Present Session (Annex V). The Bureau's proposals were adopted.

Draft Resolution to ensure the Continuation of the Work of the Committee until

the Constitution of the London Committee (Annex VI).

M. Berenger (France) [Translation]. óThere is one point which remains to be settled after the Committee's adoption of the draft resolution, which has been done unanimously and in itself constitutes a very rare success in an intergovernmental meeting. Our Committee here might be called a constituent assembly, and the next meeting in London will be in the nature of a legislative assembly. Between these two meetings there will be an interval, and the question to be settled is to whom shall any communications received from Governments, organisations or even individuals be addressed ?

They might conceivably be addressed to the future Chairman of the Committee or, on the other hand, they might equally conceivably be communicated to our present Chairman. I think I shall be speaking for many of us if I suggest that, in view of his distinguished qualities, Mr. Myron C. Taylor should be entrusted with this task. We owe him a very great debt of gratitude for the way in which he has discharged his duties, and I therefore propose the following resolution :

" The Intergovernmental Committee requests its Chairman in office, His Excellency Mr. Myron C. Taylor, to continue until it meets again in London to act on its behalf, and, in particular, to centralise for this purpose all communications that the Governments represented on the Committee may desire to transmit. "

I would add for the information of my colleagues that, if this resolution is adopted, such communications could be addressed to His Excellency Mr. Myron C. Taylor, c/o His Excellency Mr. William Bullitt, United States Ambassador in Paris.

The Chairman. óBefore I put that resolution to the vote, I would like to suggest that it would be a very great honour and privilege, as well as a great assistance to me, if I might have associated with me in that resolution the Honorary Chairman, M. Berenger.

Lord Winterton (United Kingdom). óI have great pleasure in asking the meeting to add the name of M. Berenger to the resolution, in order that he may be associated with the Chairman in this task.

The resolution as amended was unanimously adopted.

22. Publication of the Report of the Technical Sub-Committee (Annex II).

M. Michael Hansson (Norway) [Translation]. óThe report of the Technical Sub-Committee has so far, in accordance with the terms of reference of that body, been regarded as confidential. At its final meeting yesterday, the Sub-Committee expressed the wish that the report should be made public. There is in fact nothing confidential in the document, and indeed the reports of the two Sub-Committees may be regarded as mutually complementary. I therefore propose that the report of the Technical Sub-Committee be published.

The proposal was adopted.

23. Communication of the Committee's Documentation to the Secretary-General

of the League of Nations.

Lord Winterton (United Kingdom). óMay I suggest that, as a matter of courtesy, the proceedings of this Committee should be communicated to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations for his information ?

The suggestion was adopted.

24. The Committee's Programme of Work.

The Chairman. óThe last public session will be held at 11 o'clock to-morrow morning, and it is hoped will not last more than one hour.

Before adjourning, I wish to thank you all very heartily for the valuable assistance you have given me and for the great effort you have made to agree on the details of our work. You have, in so doing, very considerably lightened my task and that of the Honorary Chairman, without whom, I must add, we could have done nothing.

(The meeting rose.)