At its meeting on November 7th, 1947, the Cabinet Committee on Immigration Policy considered the admission of certain Ukrainian Displaced Persons. Two main groups were under consideration:

(a) Approximately 8,000 who had been captured in Italy in German uniform and who had been subsequently transferred to the United Kingdom.

(b) Approximately 26,000 who were held in Displaced Persons camps in Germany.

Both groups were said to be very largely, if not entirely anti-Fascist and anti-Communist.

Group (a) undoubtedly had served in the forces of the German Enemy against the Russians. Representation was put forward on their behalf in a memorandum submitted by the Ukrainian Canadian Committee and the Ukrainian Canadian Relief Fund that these people had consented to serve in the German Army in order to free the Ukraine from Russian-Communist domination but that when moved to the Western Front they had surrendered almost en masse.

Group (b) was said to consist of persons who had been conscripted for forced labour in Germany and who had subsequently become Displaced Persons within the meaning of the I.R.O. definition.

After discussion, it was decided that External Affairs and Immigration Branch should make further enquiries and secure such additional information as might be available concerning the two groups.

Enquiries have been made through the High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom and the Canadian Military Mission, Berlin. Replies indicate that:

(i) All of the 8,000 now held in the United Kingdom were in the German Army.

(ii) The 26,000 held on the Continent were very largely persons who had been moved to Germany for forced labour. They are Displaced Persons within the I.R.O. definition. Relatively few of them were in the service of our enemies. It is reported that a very large number of these persons were transferred to Germany to work on farms where they were welcomed and did extremely good work. They are on the whole reticent about their past and few would admit having served in the Enemy Forces even if that were true.

The effect of the above is to confirm the impression already formed regarding group (a). As to group (b) indications are that reasonably good agriculturist immigrants could be selected from among them.¹⁷

LESLIE CHANCE