Evian Conference, 1938, convened to discuss the plight of Jewish refugees in Europe. Photo Credit: USHMM (Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration, College Park)
As conditions in Germany and annexed Austria worsened, restrictive immigration laws in most countries prevented Jews from finding refuge elsewhere. In July 1938, delegates from 32 countries met in the French spa of Evian to discuss the plight of German Jews, but with the exception of the Dominican Republic, no government was willing to ease its immigration laws and let in additional Jewish refugees. In 1938-39, the British government, belatedly recognizing the threat to Jews, allowed some 7,500 unaccompanied children to go to the United Kingdom on what have become known as the Kindertransport.
