President Eisenhower today expressed hope in his State of the Union message to Congress that Israel and the Arab states would make, “the contributions necessary” for peace. The President said.
“In the Near East we shall spare no effort in seeking to promote a fair solution of the tragic dispute between the Arab states and Israel, all of whom we want as our friends. The United States is ready to do its part to assure enduring peace in that area. We hope that both sides will make the contributions necessary to achieve that purpose.”
Mr. Eisenhower stated that one of the “major gains for the system of collective security was the formation in the Middle East of the Baghdad Pact among Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.” Commenting on the continuing conflict between communism and freedom, the President said that “in the Middle East recent Soviet moves are hardly compatible with the reduction of international tension.”
WANTS CONGRESS TO REVISE IMMIGRATION LAWS; URGES FLEXIBILITY
The President also announced that detailed recommendations for revision of the immigration laws will be submitted to Congress. He requested Congress “to approve without further delay the urgently needed amendments” to existing immigration laws which he submitted in the last session.
“In keeping with our responsibility of world leadership and in our own self interest, I again point out to the Congress the urgent need for revision of the immigration and nationality laws. Our nation has always welcomed immigrants to our shores. The wisdom of such a policy is clearly shown by the fact that America has been built by immigrants and the descendants of immigrants. That policy must be continued realistically with present-day conditions in mind.”
The President announced that he was recommending “that the number of persons admitted to this country annually be based not on the 1920 census but on the latest, the 1950 census.” He said that “provision should be made to allow for greater flexibility in the use of quotas so if one country does not use its share, the vacancies may be made available for the use of qualified individuals from other countries.”
“The law, he declared, should be amended to permit the Secretary of State and the Attorney General to waive the requirements of fingerprinting on a reciprocal basis for persons coming to this country for temporary visits. This and other changes in the law are long overdue and should be taken care of promptly. Detailed recommendations for revision of the immigration law will be submitted to the Congress.”
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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.
