Senate Body Votes Against Amending Dp Act; Chances for Liberalization Virtually Nil

The Senate sub-committee on displaced persons today voted 2-2 against amending the Displaced Person Act which provides for the admission of 205,000 refugees to the United States within two years. The sub-committee thus killed all hopes that the bill can be changed at the special session of Congress to eliminate the many discriminatory features which have been criticized by President Truman and many civic, religious and political organizations.

Sen. Kenneth S. Wherry of Nebraska, Republican Party whip, has announced on the floor of the Senate that the Upper House will consider no legislation at this session which is not backed by favorable committee action. The House committee on DP’s had revealed that it will take no action on the DP’s unless the move is initiated in the Senate.

It appeared virtually certain today that Congress will not pass a supplemental appropriation of $2,000,000 for administration of the Displaced Persons Act. In a statement concerning the various supplementary appropriations which President Truman asked the special session to pass, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Styles Bridges, said the committee would only consider the fund requests after the House had acted upon them. A House Appropriations Committee aide said no action had been taken in that committee on the displaced persons appropriation and there were no plans at present to do so.

(A report from Frankfort, quoting the U.S. Council of Voluntary Agencies, today stated that the emigration of DP’s to the U.S. has halted completely. Council representatives told a press conference that the halt came after the passage of the DP Act providing for the admission of 205,000 DP’s to the U.S. The bill suspended the Presidential directive under which emigration has proceeded since Dec. 22, 195, but since the new legislation has not yet been implemented no emigrants have left Europe.)