UA-R-GC-1914-01-01-1942-10-16_Page-024

258 Gain in Exchange Increase in Tuitions in Exchange Unfilled Position of Mr. Gordon in S _O.S. Total 45,043.70 (L.E.1003.740) 12,112.87 (L.E.2422.575) 1,732.50 (L.E. 346.500) 40_8 $$9 07 L.E.3 777.315, (4) Over against this Surplus, we acknowledge with gratitude a return to the University by the Trustees of the gains in exchange for the payment to the staff of a war bonus in view of the high cost of living and the willingness of the Trustees to carry in a separate account all exceptional expenditures due to travel to and from the U.S.A. during the war. These special grants offset in some measure the savings in question. (5) The Auditors' Report is attached to the Bursar's Statement. In accord-ance with action of the Finance Committee in America. the accounts for the farm are being checked under the auspices of.Louncil. and .-not by our regular auditors. 7. EVACUATION: In this separate section the .main facts of the evacuation of the American stiff should . be recorded as. a part of .the Report for 1941-42. Un June 23 1 was called :ttoo.. the..Alnericcari Legation and. was informed of the seriousness of the riiitacy situation on the Libyan front. and was advised that ail Americans should be ready for evacuation. and.. that women and children should be evacuated at once.. As similar. advice. had. been given to us, as a precautionary measure, in the summer of 1940 and again in 1941. without any really critical sit-uation developing, the University circle had reached the conclusion that the final responsibility for any decision lay with itself.. lliplomatic.and.Consular officials very naturally, if not properly, give. consideration only to.the physical safety of their nationals. They carry no.responsibility seemingly for, the maintenance and continuance of civilian services and..among these .services those that are purely philanthropic and missionary are generally given less consideration and their . interests are given much less weight in any critical situation._ The University, therefore, felt it had to make its own. decision. As will.. be recalled, the military situation worsened very rapidly and very seriously.with the fail of Tobruk and the capture of almost three-tenths of the British forces. and of an enormous quantity of the material. The University staff felt. unanimously.. that it should provide for evacuation of families. As President I urged a total evacuation ut all families and of the husbands with their families. I took this position for psychological reasons, for unless all the families.were evacuated each was inclined to argue the example of the other as a..reason for remaining and unless the, men went, the majority of the families refused. to. move. it was decided. to evacuate to the Anglo- Egyptian Sudan as affording. opportunity for further withdrawal.by.air to South Africa or to America if required. Unce this decision was .reached, the difficulty of securing permission to enter the Sudan. emerged... This periaiasion was secured for Americans through the intervention of .the American Legation .and the British Embassy at Cairo on condition that such .evacuees should not.. use.hotels or pensions in their stay at Khartoum. The .University appealed to the American Mission in the Sudan for accommodations. Through.Mr. Shields, the use of a large enclosure with some buildings formerly used as a native evangelical school was secured. Then followed most hectic days of endeavoring to get. paBports regularized and visaed, securing transportation accoin dations . and .packing .for an. evacuation which might represent the last to be seen of all personal possessions.. Meanwhile the military situation became worse and worse; rumors filled the air; all transportation be-came difficult; banks felt the strain of withdrawals. and for our group it became really questionable whether it would be possible to get beyond the Egyptian frontier before a debacle occurred which would be fatal to public security even e