In 1944, the Roosevelt administration—after much reluctance to make any special efforts to help Jews threatened with extermination in Nazi-dominated Europe—granted 1,000 Jews permission to enter the U.S. They would be interned in Fort Ontario in the upstate New York town of Oswego. Drawing in part on interviews with the refugee camp’s inmates, Keren Blankfeld writes:
Hundreds of [Jewish] refugees were interviewed across Italy, and 1,000 names were selected out of 3,000 applicants. Key requirements included no men of military age (who could otherwise be fighting among the Allies), no one with contagious diseases, and no separation of families. The official count of refugees who arrived in Oswego was 982, since some never showed up at the port. One baby was born during the journey, and he was dubbed International Harry by those on board.
Roosevelt’s invitation was not open-ended, though. The refugees signed statements agreeing to return to Europe when the war ended. They were in the United States under no official immigration quota, with no legal status. But they’d be safe.
When the war in Europe ended, a national debate raged over how to handle the millions of displaced people. Returning troops had trouble finding work, and anti-Semitism was rampant. The Oswego refugees had promised to return to Europe. Yet a vast majority had nothing to return to.
In late 1945, despite most Americans’ disapproval, President Harry S. Truman issued a directive requiring that existing immigration quotas be designated for war refugees. He specifically directed that Fort Ontario’s “guests” be given visas.
Read more on New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/11/nyregion/oswego-jewish-refugees-world-war-two.html