АМЕРИКАНСЬКА ВІЗІЯ РЕПАТРІАЦІЇ DPs У СВІТЛІ УРЯДОВИХ ДОКУМЕНТІВ (1944–1951 роки)

Abstract

The article deals with the historical and legal aspect of the US policy of post-war repatriation from European displaced persons (DPs) camps, including former prisoners of war. The most important government documents and initiatives of the period that provided for the organization and process of repatriation were analyzed. An important role in addressing the issue of DPs was played by the Law on Displaced Persons, adopted on June 25, 1948, which significantly weakened previous government decisions. The US state position on the return of DPs and the factors that influenced the political decision-making of the US administration on this issue are described. The leadership of the USSR emphasized the forced return of all, without exception, Soviet citizens as of June 21, 1941, while the Western powers took as their basis September 1, 1939. At the same time, Senator A. Smith noted that it was unacceptable to refuse help to the people from the USSR solely through their citizenship. Some other politicians have noted that those national groups that have long lived under the yoke of Soviet totalitarianism do not want to be repatriated, and the US leadership, in turn, as a world democratic leader, must ensure the right of such people to a dignified life.Particular attention is focused on the number and nationality of repatriates who refused to return to the Soviet Union and sought US assistance (based on a report by Senator A. Smith). One particular factor on which the US government constantly emphasized was the use of the ideological criterion in the selection of displaced persons, by which all left-wing or disloyal to the US political system refused to help.It is concluded that after the end of World War II, the US government took into account new political circumstances (in particular, the deployment of the Cold War) and, by amending existing agreements, changed its initial attitude to the full repatriation of displaced persons from European and European countries.