Letter from Jeannette Robbins to Francis Silbernagel, January 15, 1941

Mrs. C.I. Levy of Memphis, Tenn. has informed us that your sister, Mrs. Frieda Rhein, is in Camp de Gurs and that you sent Mrs. Rhein the amounts of $35 and $45 respectively during the month of December, 1940, by Western Union.

In view of the fact that the present regulations of the Treasury Department permit banks here to accept an amount of not more than $50 a month to be transmitted to any individual in unoccupied France, we would suggest that you inquire of Western Union in regard to the matter and request them to try to find out whether the money has been received by Mrs. Rhein. If you should have occasion to send more money to her, may we suggest that you may wish to send it through the main office of the American Express Company, 65 Broadway, New York City. The American Express Company transmits remittances through their own branches in unoccupied France and we understand that for this reason they have been more successful than most banks in effecting delivery of funds in that area.

If you should wish to send food or clothing to Mrs. Rhein, this can be done by parcel post. We cannot be sure, of course, that parcel post packages will reach the persons for whom they are intended, but we have been informed of a number of instances in which such packages were received by the refugees who sent acknowledgements to their relatives here. We feel, therefore, that relatives in this country who are anxious to help people in Gurs may wish to send such assistance on the chance that it will arrive safely. If food is sent, it should, of course, be the less perishable kind and in the case of clothing, it is best to send used garments because the French government levies a duty on new clothing which must be paid in France before the designated person can receive the package.

In order to obtain some report on Mrs. Rhein’s situation, we are writing to our Lisbon office, giving them her location in Gurs and asking them, if possible to bring the matter to the attention of our committee which is working in Gurs. We know you will readily understand that with conditions as difficult as they are at the present time, it is impossible to know how long it will be before information can be received here. However, as soon as we have any word from abroad, we will get in touch with you.