U.S. Will Establish “free Ports” in Abandoned Army Camps, Roosevelt Announces

The United States Government is considering taking over army camps which are no longer needed, as temporary shelters for refugees from Europe, President Roosevelt disclosed today. He told his press conference that he conferred yesterday with John W. Pehle, executive director of the War Refugee Board, and Secretary of the Treasury Henry L. Morgenthau, Jr. on the proposal.

Queried whether he meant to exclude the United States when he suggested, last Tuesday, that there were other places in the world where the refugees could be cared for, the President replied the matter was one requiring common sense. He asked whether it would not be sensible in view of the large numbers of refugees to prevent some of them from having to take the long sea voyages that would be necessary to get them here and home again.

Some of them are coming here without any question, he stated, Nothing he had said, the President declared, precluded them from coming here and nothing he had said indicated that all would be put in refugee camps elsewhere.

ARMY OR UNRRA MAY FINANCE PROJECTED HAVENS

The President said he was not sure who would finance the refugee havens, possibly the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration or the Army. The Army, he stated, was very directly involved in the matter. In one city on the Mediterranean coast, he disclosed, 1, 800 refugees had poured in last week, creating a problem of maintenance in a fighting zone.

In answer to a question about his conference with Mr. Morgenthau and Mr. Pehle, President Roosevelt said that they were considering taking one of the army camps no longer needed to turn into refugee camps, but the matter was only in the study stage. The President said they were also examining other phases of the question and that he had suggested the use of the resort hotels in Taormina, off the east coast of Sicily, and Cyrenaica, which was formerly used as an Italian winter resort, and other places in the Mediterranean area to house refugees.

The President said that if there are starving and helpless people, it seems little enough to do to give them a place to stay. It was, he said, the humanitarian thing to do to keep life in them anywhere in the world until they could be returned home.

HOUSE GETS RESOLUTION URGING SETTING UP OF “FREE PORTS”

Meanwhile, Rep. Samuel Dickstein (N. Y. Dem.) introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives today urging the establishment of “free ports.” Those admitted would remain for a period not extending beyond six months after the end of the war.

The measure was referred to the House Immigration Committee, of which Dickstein is chairman. He said that he expected 30 or 40 members of the House from various section of the country to follow suit and introduce similar bills next week. Rep. Author Klein (N. Y. Dem.) later told the House in a brief speech in support of “freedom” that he hoped there would be some action on the matter soon.