Bela Gross, refused admission to the United States once and later refused entry to France and Germany has been admitted to the United States following a fight made in his behalf by a young stenographer who had never seen him, but who had been moved by his tale of woe.
Gross, who is a Russian Jew, and 26 years of age, arrived at Portland November 3, 1923, on the S. S. George Washington. The Russian quota for November was reported filled and Gross was ordered returned to France. He attempted to swim ashore at Portland, but was caught.
In France he was refused admission because he had lest his passport and the German authorities also refused to receive him. The steamship company thereupon returned him to the United States where he arrived for the second time in December and was again excluded.
The United States District Court has how decided to admit Gross on the ground that he was illegally excluded from the country when he first arrived here in November, Justice Knox having ruled that the Russian quota was not filled at that time.
Miss Gertrude Israel, Secretary in a legal firm office in New York is responsible for Gross’s admission having interested others in his story, although she had never seen him before.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.