Evidence of an important source of untapped manpower available to America through the talents of refugees in this country is revealed in a survey of alien specialized personnel issued today by the National Refugee Service. The survey is based on an analysis of the abilities of 2,250 of America’s newest arrivals, all specialists in the field of science, social science, medicine and commerce.
Contrary to the general belief that this country is a haven for large numbers of refugees, only some 250,000 refugees of all faiths have actually entered the United States since Hitler’s advent, the survey shows, Recent reports based on the Anglo-American Bermuda Conference on refugee problems, revealed that this Government has issued some 500,000 visas, since 1933, to persons in countries now under Axis domination. But many visa holders never arrived, others were only visitors, and a final group were regular immigrants, not persons fleeing religious or political persecution.
Concrete information concerning the capabilities of the persons included in the survey is given in tables which classify them according to age, sex, occupation, nationality, citizenship status, and knowledge of languages. Some of the tables are supplemented with brief case histories which reveal impressive backgrounds and exceptional skills. The occupational specialties fall within four groups–science and mechanics, social science, medicine and medical work, and business. Listed under these headings are some 22 general classifications which represent approximately 100 professions, vocations, and trades.
The list includes a specialist in high explosives, the inventor of a widely used mining fuse, the former director of one of Europe’s largest steam turbine factories, and the chief of a famous European air-line system. The field of medicine offers a number of outstanding specialists, including one in gastro-enterology who invented an instrument now in world-wide use. Businessmen comprise the largest single group.
Of the 2,250 persons included in the survey, 1,970 are male and 280 are female. About half are between the ages of 46 and 64. This large proportion of mature individuals is partly due to the fact that many younger refugees are serving the war effort directly, in the U.S. Army, it is pointed out in the report.
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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.
