Members of both houses of Congress were today presented by the Jewish War Veterans organization with resolutions adopted at the JWV convention earlier this month urging that the U.S. Congress should consider promptly and act favorably on pending bills recommending the revision of the present immigration laws.
The JWV stressed that “the traditional American policy for more than a century and a quarter was to welcome immigrants, freely, to this country.” The Jewish veterans pointed out that the immigrants and their descendants “contributed mightily to the development of the United States through their service and contributions in industry, in the professions, in civic life and in public service, as well as in the armed forces.”
Strongly criticizing the McCarran-Walter Immigration Act which is incorporated in the present U.S. immigration policy, the JWV said that this Act “is based on a biased national and racial quota system, on retrogressive immigration procedures and on a wide variety of provisions contrary to the American spirit of fair play.”
The JWV also submitted to members of Congress its views on a long-range American policy for the settlement of the Middle East crisis. These views take into consideration that “the economic welfare of Western Europe depends on the steady flow of oil from the Middle East,” and recommend the following:
1. The United States shall declare its intention to guarantee the territorial integrity of the Arab states and Israel against both direct and indirect aggression, and shall, if necessary, continue to maintain troops in the area upon request of any of these nations which is subjected to such aggression.
2. The United States shall declare its continued support for the stationing of United Nations observers and police forces in the Middle East to preserve territorial integrity, thus permitting the departure of American troops from the area.
3. The United States shall stimulate peace negotiations between Israel and the Arab states which shall include the resettlement of the bulk of the Arab refugees in the unpopulated Arab states, making permanent the existing boundaries in the Middle East, and the opening of the Suez Canal to Israel shipping.
4. The United States, to raise the living standards of the common man in the Middle East, shall declare its intentions to support an expanded program of economic aid for the Middle East countries which should include immediate implementation of the Johnston Plan for the Development of the Jordan River Valley. It should also establish a Middle East Development Agency under UN auspices which should be financed by a percentage of area revenues from Middle East and capital-exporting companies of the world.
5. The United States, in concert with the countries of Western Europe, should provide the capital for building of oil-pipelines of sufficient size in Israel from Eilat to the Mediterranean coast, this reducing Western Europe’s dependence on the Suez Canal for the shipment of oil from the Persian Gulf wells.
6. The United States shall declare its intention to adopt a new policy in the Middle East which will permit the expansion of NATO by inviting the countries of the Middle East and North Africa to join NATO with the understanding that these nations subscribe to and support the present treaty obligations of the NATO countries.
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.
