Whitehall and the Jews: British Immigration Policy, Jewish Refugees and the Holocaust

Also an insight into how hostile the British establishment was to people fleeing for their lives.A shameful story, only partially redeemed by some outstanding and good hearted people.

An in-depth look of The British Government’s policies and actions toward the Jews 1933-1945.A seminal work, despite being relatively new in historiography terms.

All good!

I seem to have read a different book to some reviewers. I thought this was a very objective account by someone who has cause to emotionally biased. This will not suit conspiracy theorists because the assessment of where and why the government and its officials did well or badly is complex and the evidence shows that in some respects, at certain times, they did the best they could with a bad hand. They managed a settled policy with unprecedented cooperation from private groups and charities up until the Anschluss. Unfortunately the overwhelming need for discretion so as to keep the toxic issue of refugees off the front pages meant that the flexibility they were able to allow went on behind the scenes. More could have been done with hindsight but given the circumstances of the time it is difficult to see what could have been done differently. It is hugely difficult to divorce yourself from the knowledge of what happened after 1940 and put yourself in the shoes of the people of the time. They deserve a better hearing than they usually get and this account provides the information needed to attempt to understand the policy constraints they faced.

This book does not claim an objectivity now impossible to achieve. This is one version of events, as valid as any other. Read other works too and come to your own conclusion about these contentious areas.

Britain has long been seen as open to deserving emigres. This book shows that cultural and political biases were always at work.