President Truman in a letter to Secretary of State Byrnes on May 25 suggested that immigration quotas, about 90 per cent of which were being filled by displaced persons in the American one in Germany be spread around so that aliens waiting at other U. S. consulates throughout the world might have a chance to emigrate to the United States, according to the visa division of the State Department.
In the letter to Mr. Byrnes, President Truman is reported to have called attention to the many deserving aliens waiting at U.S. consulates throughout the world and to have expressed himself in favor of lessening the quota numbers which had been allotted to the American zone in Germany to enable part of these other aliens to come to this country.
The State Department spokesman pointed out that many of these people were themselves refugees who had escaped from Germany in earlier years. He suggested that the effect of the presidential suggestion would be a gradual process of decentralizing these quota numbers. He estimated that eventually only about 50 per cent of the quota would be available for DP’s.
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