Rousing a Response: When the United States Changes Policy toward Mass Killing

Summary

When do U.S. presidents strengthen the government’s response to mass killing? Three factors account for such shifts: dissent within the president’s inner circle; congressional pressure; and the threat of personal political costs for the president. The 1944 creation of the War Refugee Board, which saved 200,000 Jews during the Holocaust, is a clear example of such a policy shift.