Bermuda Conference facts for kids

The Bermuda Conference was an important meeting held in Hamilton, Bermuda, from April 19 to 30, 1943. It was a discussion between two major countries, the United Kingdom and the United States, during World War II.

The main reason for this conference was to talk about refugees, especially Jewish people, who had been freed by the Allied forces or were still trapped in parts of Europe controlled by the Nazis.

The American team was led by Dr. Harold W. Dodds, and the British team was led by Richard Law, who worked for the Foreign Office.

What Happened at the Conference?

Sadly, not much was agreed upon at the Bermuda Conference. The only thing both sides truly agreed on was that they needed to win the war against the Nazis.

• The United States did not agree to let more refugees into their country by raising their immigration limits.
• The British did not change their rule that stopped Jewish refugees from going to Mandatory Palestine (which is now Israel).

How People Reacted

After the conference, many people were disappointed.

An article in The New York Times newspaper on April 30, 1943, said that the delegates decided not to accept ideas that would be too hard to do during the war. They felt these ideas might even slow down the war effort.

About a week later, a group called the Committee for a Jewish Army, which supported the idea of a Jewish homeland, put an advertisement in The New York Times. They said the conference was a "mockery" (meaning it made fun) of earlier promises to the Jewish people and ignored their terrible suffering under Nazi rule.

Images for kids

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  Delegates at the Bermuda Conference in April 1943.

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  A robot icon.