The Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, in a letter to Secretary of State Dean Acheson, protested the State Department’s proposed policy of granting immigration visas, under the provisions of the McCarran-Walter Immigration Law, to former Nazis and fascists, it was announced today. A similar letter was addressed by the Jewish Labor Committee to Attorney General James P. McGranery.
Henry E. Schultz, A.D.L. national chairman, questioned the validity of the State Department’s ruling after it was revealed that 4,000 one-time followers of the Hitler political movement, heretofore ineligible for admission to the United States, are expected to apply for visas when the new law goes into effect December 24th.
Any interpretation that denies it was the aim of the Nazi movement to impose totalitarianism on the whole world, the United States included, is historically and legally wrong, Mr. Schultz declared. He asked Secretary Acheson to reconsider the State Department’s ruling.
The McCarran law excludes all members, present and past, of organizations “which advocate the establishment in the United States of a totalitarian dictatorship or totalitarianism.” The State Department has interpreted the key words. “in the United States,” to mean that the ban does not apply to Nazi or fascist party members.
The Jewish Labor Committee, in its protest to Attorney General McGranery, emphasized that it “notes with shocked alarm” the interpretation of the McCarran Immigration Law which would permit the entrance into this country of persons who have been closely allied with, and may still be sympathetic to fascist activities abroad.
“The opening of the gates of the United States to collaborationists of totalitarianism, especially to those who are still active or sympathetic to such doctrines, is breaking faith with the millions of Jews and non-Jews whose lives were sacrificed in the crematoria of Nazi Germany and in the concentration camps of Fascist Italy,” the J.L.C. pointed out.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
