In Honor of Holocaust day, I have copied a chapter about the Holocaust from the Memoir of a White House Dog.

No Words - December 31, 1942

Eleanor was off to New York to attend a day of mourning sponsored by

the Jewish leaders. The purpose of this meeting was to make people

aware of the situation of the European Jews. The news from all over

Europe was terrifying. Jewish people were being forced out of their

homes and transported to concentration camps in the east.

Once they arrived, it would be determined by the Nazis if they were

to be forced into slave labor. We did not know what happened to those

who could not work. The Nazis felt the Jews were the source of all the

world’s problems and were inferior to the Germans. We heard about a

conference held by Nazi officials that all Jewish people throughout

Europe should be eliminated.

The first time Eleanor heard of this, she could not believe her ears.

The following day, she opened the New York Times, a usual ritual with

her morning coffee. As she read it, her face had a look of terror. The

article said that 2/3 of the Jewish population had been killed in Europe.

Shortly afterward, she contacted Rabbi Stephan Wise. Eleanor told him

about the article and asked if he knew anything. Much to her surprise, he

told her of a document called the Reigner Report. This report confirmed

there were as many as 20 concentration camps throughout Europe. The

camp’s sole purpose was to kill and exterminate Europe’s Jewish

population.

Jewish leaders were terrified. They asked to have a conference with

the President to inform him of this situation. Unless the allies took some

sort of action, Hitler would kill every Jewish person in Europe. Later thatBarbara Guerriero-Flites

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month, the conference with Rabbi Wise and Jewish leaders took place.

Intelligence received by the President did mention that Jews were being

transported eastward to labor camps. However, the State Department

would not confirm anything about the mass killings for quite some time.

The President assured everyone that the United States would do

everything in its power to be of service to the Jewish people. Little did he

know he would face opposition.

The President tried to get a bill passed to open the gates for Jewish

immigration. Unfortunately, the bill had no chance with the conservative

Congress that was primarily antisemitic. As the war raged on, this situation

worsened by the day.

Most people surrounding the President did not believe what the

intelligence was saying. Many government officials just shrugged their

shoulders and wanted solid proof before they would believe it. Franklin

had a look on his face that told me he was very disturbed. In the back of

his mind, I know he was trying to figure out his next move. The President

felt the best way to stop the atrocities was to defeat the Nazis and win the

war. I guess it was the best he could do. He was walking on a tight rope,

trying to keep the support for the war going and getting Congress to go

along with him. I only had wished the world could have gotten together

and do something to help these poor people.