Truman Appeals to Congress to Revise New Immigration Law

Rep. Francis E. Walter, of Pennsylvania, coauthor of the McCarran-Walter Immigration Act, today heatedly defended his act before the House and complained that “so many professionals, professional Jews, are shedding crocodile tears for no reason whatever.”

Rep. Walter told the House there was nothing in the law that could be construed as “anti-anything” despite the report of President Truman’s Commission on Immigration and Naturalization that the law is discriminatory and a disgrace to the nation. The Congressman charged the Commission was established “for the purpose of discrediting the law.”

Rep. Walter’s outburst occurred today after a message was received by Congress from President Truman who asked for “earnest and prompt consideration” by Congress of the recommendations for revision of the immigration act which were offered by the President’s Commission. The Commission, headed by former Solicitor General Philip B. Perlman, has urged hundreds of liberalizing changes to remove totalitarian aspects of the new act.

Mr. Truman said today that “the recommendations are designed to eliminate from our immigration laws the unfortunate provisions which apply discriminations based on national origin, race, creed, and color, and to substitute provisions worthy of our people and our form of government.”

Such revision, said the President, “would do much to convince the people of the free world that we have not lost an iota of our faith in the great principles upon which this nation was founded, and upon which it has risen to a place of pre-eminence among all nations. ” Rep. Emanuel Celler and Jacob K. Javits urged the House to act promptly on the recommendations of the President’s Commission.