United States immigration authorities said today that they will determine whether Sir Oswald Mosley, British Fascist leader, is eligible for admission to the United States when he arrives at a port of entry. The question is also under study by the Congressional Joint Committee on Immigration and Nationality Policy.
The leader of Britain’s fascist Union movement is scheduled to speak tomorrow at the State University of New York in Buffalo and at least two campus groups announced they would hold demonstrations to protest his appearance.
Sir Oswald was given a United States visa by the United States Embassy in London to come to the U.S. for his lecture at a series arranged by the university. Issuance of a visa does not automatically guarantee entrance. The Immigration Service is still free to use its discretion in controversial cases.
Immigration Commissioner Raymond Farrell received a telegram today from Rep. Seymour Halpern, New York Republican, calling on the immigration service to use the discretionary authority contained in the immigration laws to deny Mosley admittance. Rep. Halpern cited provisions in the law authorizing the barring of persons who might be inimical to the welfare and interests of the United States.
“We have enough racist agitators here without bringing known and notorious foreign fascist hatemongers into the country from abroad to abuse our hospitality,” the Congressman stressed. He recalled that Mosley was “a disciple of Adolf Hitler” who was jailed by England for pro-Nazi activities at the time of the Second World War.
Chairman Emanuel Celler of the House Judiciary Committee said that the State Department “erred” in issuing a visa to Mosley. Rep. Celler, a New York Democrat, called for Mosley’s exclusion on grounds that it was not a question of “freedom of speech” but a matter of public safety.
National executive director Joseph F. Barr of the Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A. wired Rep. Francis E. Walter of the Congressional Joint Committee on Immigration and Nationality Policy that Mosley should be excluded and his visa canceled under laws barring extremists of both extremes, left and right. Mr. Barr pointed out that Mosley’s “treasonous support of Nazi Germany and opposition to the allies was such during World War II that he was imprisoned by Great Britain.”
(Before leaving London airport tonight Sir Oswald said that he “certainly would not be seeing” George Rockwell, head of the “American Nazi party” during his visit to the United States. He called Colin Jordan’s British National Socialist group and the Rockwell group “lunatic organizations.”
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.
