House Judiciary Committee Approves Admission of 240,000 Aliens

The House Judiciary Committee today voted to approve emergency legislation requested by President Eisenhower to admit 240,000 additional immigrants in the next two years. The vote was 17 to 12.

Provisions tentatively inserted by Rep. Francis E. Walter providing for the admission of Arabs, Japanese, and Chinese, were knocked out of the final version of the bill. It is expected to go to the House floor next week as a “must” item designated by the Administration for enactment before Congress adjourns.

The bill provides for admission of 60,000 Germans, 60,000 Italians, 35,000 refugees in Western Germany and Austria, 25,000 Greeks, 25,000 Dutch, 15,000 refugees in NATO countries, 8,000 DP’s, 3,000 members of Gen. Wladyslaw Anders’ Polish Army, 3,000 Europeans in China, and 2,000 Portuguese.

Meanwhile, Sen. Pat McCarran demanded that the Senate Judiciary Committee accept his compromise offer. He would agree to admission of 194,000 immigrants if guarantees were given against future changes in the McCarran-Walter Immigration Act. Presumably this compromise was discussed when Sen. McCarran talked with President Eisenhower at the White House earlier today. The President had previously said that he considered the emergency legislation now before Congress and the revision of the McCarran-Walter act to be separate matters to be dealt with individually.

Chairman Arthur Watkins of the Immigration Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee said he thought there was a possibility of compromise. Sen. Robert C. Hendrickson made known that Secretary of State John Foster Dulles had written a special letter to urge Senate action on the bill to admit 240,000 persons. Secretary Dulles was quoted as saying that passage would demonstrate to persons behind the Iron Curtain that this country is in sympathy with persons resisting Communism.