Secretary of State Christian Herter was asked today to explain a new policy barring American personnel of the Jewish faith from assignment to United States diplomatic and aid missions in Pakistan. The request was made by Representative Leonard Farbstein, New York Democrat, a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Rep. Farbstein told Secretary Herter that any measures to weed out Jews from among personnel assigned to Pakistan “would be a distinct violation of every American tradition and of the Morse-Javits amendment to the Mutual Security Act of 1959.” The amendment calls on the executive department to withhold aid from nations practicing religious bias against Americans.
Rep. Farbstein asked Secretary Herter whether the State Department and the International Cooperation Administration are “presently screening, formally or informally, individuals considered for assignment to Pakistan or any other country” to determine religious affiliation as a vocational “qualification.” He cited an “authoritative news agency” report that such a practice involving Pakistan had gone into effect. The report originated with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
A formal request was made by Rep. Farbstein for a detailed report on current policies of the State Department involving assignment of American Jews to Pakistan and a number of other Moslem nations. The other nations included Saudi Arabia, United Arab Republic, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Sudan and Yemen. An Administration request for additional appropriations to Pakistan is now before the Foreign Affairs Committee.
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.
