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Senate Hears Report on Ban of American-jewish Tourists in Jordan

January 17, 1962
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
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Senator Joseph S. Clark of Pennsylvania reminded the Senate today that American Jews and Jewish-owned businesses continue to have difficulties in travel and trade relations with Arab countries.

“It is a sad fact that Americans of the Jewish faith,” Senator Clark said, “are barred from visiting Jordan even though U.S. tax dollars underwrite half of the budget of that nation and Jordan can ill afford to turn away potential earnings from tourism.” The Pennsylvania Democrat urged that “full force and effect” be given a 1960 Democratic Platform pledge which asked “protection of rights of American citizens to travel, to pursue lawful trade and to engage in other lawful activities abroad without distinction to race or religion.”

Senator Clark told the Senate that “we must neither at home nor abroad let any of our citizens be relegated to a second-class status.” He said: “For the U.S. Government to be a party to such distinctions by not effectively opposing them is not only contrary to some of the oldest traditions of this nation but in effect serves to negate the efforts to strengthen the concepts of freedom and democracy throughout the world on which we are now expending so much of our national effort and treasure. “

The Senator referred to an article on the entire matter written by his Pennsylvania colleague Congressman Thomas E. Morgan- -Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee–in the November 1961 issue of the “Committee Reporter, ” monthly organ of the American Jewish Committee, and asked that it be inserted in the Congressional Record.

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