By 1943 a government administrator for repatriation was appointed.  He was responsible for retrieving Dutch displaced persons, but he couldn’t do it on his own. He was dependent on SHAEF [Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force] and on the cooperation of individual countries.

SHAEF, under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, was the headquarters of the Allied commander during and after the liberation of Europe and was also responsible for the repatriation in enemy territory (Germany and Austria). Neither the Netherlands nor other countries were permitted to retrieve displaced persons from this area on their own.