Official circles here today indicated that the provisions of the McCarran-Walter Act, which was passed over the veto of President Truman, will be put into effect gradually. The Senate overrode the veto by a one vote margin, 57-26, while the House upset the veto by 278-113.
The legislation, which was opposed as racist and discriminatory by Jewish and liberal groups and which was scored by President Truman in his veto message, provides for the first codification of immigration, naturalization and nationality law in over 150 years. The President charged that it discriminates “deliberately and intentionally, against many of the peoples of the world” and subjects U.S. citizens returning from abroad to what Mr. Truman called “serious risk of unreasonable invasions of privacy.” The grounds for exclusion of aliens are broadened and judicial review of certain cases of denial of citizenship is restricted or eliminated.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
