Colombia

Colombia

Der Brockhaus-Atlas. Die Welt in Bild und Karte, Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus 1937

Der Brockhaus-Atlas. Die Welt in Bild und Karte, Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus 1937

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Der Brockhaus-Atlas. Die Welt in Bild und Karte, Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus 1937
Colombia 1938
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Population ca. 8,865,000
Area (km²) ca. 1,162,000
Inhabitants per km² 8
Jewish population before 1938 Jewish pop. before 1938 4,000 (0.05 %)

 

Policy on Immigration and Refugees

In the 1930s, the Liberal Party peacefully rises to power in the Colombian government for the first time in decades. Its labor reforms and efforts for women’s equality provoke fierce conflicts with the conservative forces in the country and the Catholic church. Under the administration of Olaya Herrera (1930–1934), these conflicts turn violent in many parts of the country. Yet a wave of patriotism resulting from a military clash with Peru over the Leticia region (1932–33) fuels nationalist sentiments.

The liberal president López Pumarejo (1934–38) initiates a program of social reforms inspired by Roosevelt’s New Deal to counteract the rise of mass privatization and social conflict. The country’s business sector relies on close relations with the United States and domestic industrialization. This brings significant growth in the cities, and soon Bogotá’s population balloons to four million.

When the Popular Front forms a government in 1936, the Conservatives and the Catholic Church respond with a massive campaign to defend existing power relations. Elements in the Conservative Party publicly espouse antisemitism and sympathize with Franco’s Spain. The assumption of the presidency by moderate Liberal Eduardo Santos, in 1938, improves relations with the United States.

Until the mid-1930s, Colombia practices a selective immigration policy with the aim of attracting educated workers, new technologies, and capital to the country. Rather than applying a quota system, Colombia requires immigrants to pay a cash deposit. The government of López Pumarejo is the first to grant visas more liberally, starting in 1934. In 1938, the Foreign Ministry reports that the deposit policy is no longer an effective procedure considering the increase in the emigration of German and Austrian Jews.

At first, the government maintains its liberal immigration policy despite antisemitic initiatives and opinions in the media. Not until September 1938 does a decree restrict the arrival of stateless persons, who now require a permit from the Foreign Ministry.

From 1938 onward, several thousand Jewish refugees from Germany and its occupied territories arrive in Colombia.

 

C.V.-Zeitung. Allgemeine Zeitung des Judentums, September 8, 1938 The article, “Bogota, the Columbian capital,” describes life in the Colombian capital and options for immigrating there. Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main

C.V.-Zeitung. Allgemeine Zeitung des Judentums, September 8, 1938

The article, “Bogota, the Columbian capital,” describes life in the Colombian capital and options for immigrating there.

Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main

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C.V.-Zeitung. Allgemeine Zeitung des Judentums, September 8, 1938 The article, “Bogota, the Columbian capital,” describes life in the Colombian capital and options for immigrating there. Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main

C.V.-Zeitung. Allgemeine Zeitung des Judentums, September 8, 1938

The article, “Bogota, the Columbian capital,” describes life in the Colombian capital and options for immigrating there.

Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main

C.V.-Zeitung. Allgemeine Zeitung des Judentums, September 8, 1938

The article, “Bogota, the Columbian capital,” describes life in the Colombian capital and options for immigrating there.

Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main

C.V.-Zeitung. Allgemeine Zeitung des Judentums, September 8, 1938 The article, “Bogota, the Columbian capital,” describes life in the Colombian capital and options for immigrating there. Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main

Delegation

Jesús María Yepes Herrera

* 15 August 1892 Granada   † 13 May 1962 Bogotá

Yepes is raised in a rural area outside Medellín. After studying law, he travels to Europe, where he begins studies at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium in 1912. Back in Colombia, Yepes becomes one of the country’s foremost international law experts and advises several presidents starting in 1922. Yepes, a member of the Conservative party, joins Colombia’s diplomatic corps and is sent to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Cuba, and elsewhere from 1930 to 1945. He also represents Colombia regularly at international conferences from the 1920s onward.

From 1935 to 1941, Yepes serves as a permanent legal advisor to the League of Nations. During his years as a diplomat, he continues to teach international law at various universities in Europe and the Americas and writes numerous books on topics of international law. As a representative of Colombia, one of the United Nations’ founder states, Yepes is also involved in its establishment in October 1945. Jesús María Yepes dies in Bogotá in 1962 on the 50th anniversary of the day he left for Europe as a student.

Jesús María Yepes Herrera, ca. 1938 Private collection family Yepes / Uprimny

Jesús María Yepes Herrera, ca. 1938

Private collection family Yepes / Uprimny

Jesús María Yepes Herrera, ca. 1938 Private collection family Yepes / Uprimny

Jesús María Yepes Herrera, ca. 1938

Private collection family Yepes / Uprimny

Jesús María Yepes Herrera, ca. 1938

Private collection family Yepes / Uprimny

Jesús María Yepes Herrera, ca. 1938 Private collection family Yepes / Uprimny

Luis Cano Villegas

* 15 August 1885 Medellín   † 22 July 1950 Bogotá

Luis Cano Villegas begins writing while a student in Medellín and publishes several newspapers with his brother. Because of press restrictions in Colombia, Cano Villegas works as an editor in Costa Rica and Chile.

In 1913, he returns to Colombia, where he is placed in charge of the Bogotá edition of the Medellín daily newspaper El Espectador, founded by his father. He continues publishing the newspaper, which is allied with the country’s liberal movement, until 1949.

As a member of the Liberal Party, he is elected to the Colombian Parliament in 1921 and serves as a senator from 1932 to 1936. Afterwards, Cano Villegas accepts a position as a special envoy to the League of Nations, in which capacity he represents Colombia at the Évian Conference.

Conference Contributions

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 1/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 1/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 2/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 2/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 3/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 3/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 4/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 4/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 5/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 5/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 6/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 6/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 7/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 7/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 8/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 8/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 1/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 1/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 2/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 2/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 3/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 3/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 4/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 4/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 5/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 5/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 6/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 6/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

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Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 1/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 1/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 1/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 2/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 2/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 2/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 3/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 3/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 3/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 4/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 4/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 4/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 5/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 5/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 5/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 6/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 6/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 6/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 7/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 7/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 7/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 8/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 8/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 8/8

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 1/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 1/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 1/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 2/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 2/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 2/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 3/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 3/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 3/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 4/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 4/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 4/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 5/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 5/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 5/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 6/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 6/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 6/6

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY

Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 1/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY
Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 2/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY
Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 3/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY
Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 4/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY
Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 5/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY
Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 6/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY
Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 7/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY
Speech by Jesús María Yepes Herrera (Columbia) in the public session on July 9, 1938, 11am, p. 8/8 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY
Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 1/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY
Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 2/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY
Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 3/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY
Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 4/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY
Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 5/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY
Memorandum from the Colombian delegation to the Technical Sub-Committee, July 12, 1938, p. 6/6 Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY