President Truman today appealed to the United Nations General Assembly to establish the International Refugee Organization as soon as possible, so that it may take over from UNRRA the tasks of caring for and resettling the hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced persons in Europe.
In his address opening the Assembly meeting, the President stressed that the United States “considers this a matter of great urgency in the cause of restoring peace and in the cause of humanity itself.”
Mr. Truman reiterated his intention to ask Congress to authorize the United States to join with other nations in receiving “those refugees who do not wish to return to their former homes for reasons of political or religious belief.” He also said that he would urge Congress to vote funds to help finance the International Refugee Organization.
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.
