ALGERIAN REFUGEES
S 1R.--Bernard Levin, in 'A Spectator's Notebook,' In your issue of February 26, referred to 'consider- able confusion' about help to Algerian refugees from this country. Since his comments may well have added to any possible confusion, I should be grateful If you would afford me an opportunity to put forward the facts.
Four special objectives were selected for the World Refugee Year effort in this country, because the United Kingdom .Committee wished to concentrate efforts on plans to help refugees of long standing by settlement or by other schemes that would lead to a final solution of some part of the problem. In doing so the committee took account of the fact that other categories would be helped by other countries participating in World Refugee Year and also from the funds of the fourteen refugee agencies represented on my committee. Mr. Levin correctly quoted an extract from a press release issued by me for February 10. The sentence preceding the extract, however, referred to plans made by the UK Committee and the refugee organisations to use the funds raised so far and, at a press conference on that day, I emphasised that the figure quoted for Algerian refugees was made up solely of help given by supporting voluntary agencies. There was no 'error . . . in the World Refugee Year statement' Furthermore, Mr. Levin was incorrect in saying that Algerian refugees get nothing from the agencies collecting on behalf of the World Refugee Year.' It may have been, as Mr. Levin suggests, 'a complicated story,' but he has certainly made it more so, and I am sorry he did not check the facts with us.
Finally, I should like to confirm Mr. Levin's report that my committee (Nor the Advisory Council) met on Monday last to consider further the question of Algerian refugees. I am glad to be able to inform your readers that, as we are now to raise our national target to £4 million, and since it appears likely that relief from other sources will not be adequate, my committee has decided to allocate funds for the immediate needs of Algerian refugees in Tunisia and Morocco. In view of Mr. Levin's speculations and other comments that have been made on the subject, I should like to stress that my committee has not at any time concerned itself with political issues in considering what categories of refugees it should try to help.—Yours faithfully,
H. SHAW Organising Secretary World RefUgee Year United Kingdom Committee 9 Grosvenor Crescent, SW I
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