President Truman’s figures showing that only 4,767 qualified refugees and displaced persons entered the United States up to Oct. 21, instead of the 39,000 who could have entered legally in the ten-month period following issuance of the President’s immigration directive a year ago yesterday, were confirmed today.
The unidentified shipping authorities who challenged the President’s figures over the week-end were charged today with gross inaccuracy by Dr. Leland Rox Robinson, chairman of the Committee on Displaced Persons of the American Council of Voluntary Agencies for Foreign Service.
Citing the report by Ugo Carusi, United States Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization, that only 4,664 immigrants had entered the U.S. from the occupied zone in Europe up to the end of September, and pointing out a handful had arrived in October, none in November and less than a thousand in the past few days, Dr. Robinson challenged the figure of 21,389 attributed to shipping men. The larger total could only have been reached by including such groups as repatriated American citizens, and foreign business men, students, and others coming on temporary non-immigrant visas, from all parts of Europe and elsewhere, Dr. Robinson declared.
DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS OF IMMIGRANTS CITED; MANY VISAS EXPIRED
Thousands of immigrants are suffering as a result of overcrowding, inadequate shelters, food and clothing and other hardships at the American embarkation center at Bremerhaven, Germany, because of the Jam there caused by the lack of shipping accommodations to the U.S., Dr. Robinson revealed. Visas of 200 persons expired before they could sail, and thousands with documents entitling them to admission to this country under the quota have fallen into a state “bordering on desperation,” he charged.
“The President is right,” Dr. Robinson said. “His facts are correct. His dissatisfaction is entirely justified. Immigration of refugees and displaced persons has fallen far short of the goal set in his directive. His announcement last Thursday that he had ordered additional shipping space provided for immigration from the American-occupied sones of Germany and Austria came as a breath of new hope for thousands of people holding U.S. visas, who have been forced to undergo great suffering and have been brought to the brink of despair by their inability to sail for this country. Mr. Truman’s action cleared up a dangerous situation, discreditable to our country’s good name, at one clean stroke. It was in keeping with the Christian spirit and intent of his original directive of a year ago.”
REASONS FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH TRUMAN’S DIRECTIVE OUTLINED
One reason for the failure to achieve the goal of the President’s directive, aside from the shipping bottleneck, Dr. Robinson said, was the lack of adequate staffs in American consular offices in the occupied zones to receive applications, examine documents, interview prospective immigrants and carry on other steps leading to issuance of visas. But passenger accommodations have been insufficient even for the limited number who have received visas, he added.
Dr. Robinson published a ship by ship analysis of the immigration of refugees and displaced persons from the American occupied comes showing the accuracy of the President’s figures.
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