In the Children’s Best Interests: Unaccompanied Children in American-Occupied Germany, 1945-1952

Description

Among the hundreds of thousands of displaced persons in Germany at the end of World War II, approximately 40,000 were unaccompanied children. These children, of every age and nationality, were without parents or legal guardians and many were without clear identities. This situation posed serious practical, legal, ethical, and political problems for the agencies responsible for their care. In the Children’s Best Interests, by Lynne Taylor, is the first work to delve deeply into the records of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) and the International Refugee Organization (IRO) and reveal the heated battles that erupted amongst the various entities (military, governments, and NGOs) responsible for their care and disposition. The bitter debates focused on such issues as whether a child could be adopted, what to do with illegitimate and abandoned children, and who could assume the role of guardian. The inconclusive nationality of these children meant they became pawns in the battle between East and West during the Cold War. Taylor’s exploration and insight into the debates around national identity and the privilege of citizenship challenges our understanding of nationality in the postwar period. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 8 Introduction......Page 12 1 UNRRA Gets Started......Page 22 2 Unaccompanied Children......Page 50 3 Child Search Launched......Page 76 4 Legal Complications......Page 96 5 The Infiltrees......Page 120 6 Obstacle: The Landesjugendamt......Page 146 7 Obstacle: The ACA Directive......Page 173 8 Child Search under the IRO......Page 207 9 The Residual......Page 249 10 Nationality......Page 289 Conclusion......Page 331 Abbreviations......Page 354 Notes......Page 358 Bibliography......Page 450 Index......Page 458