IMMEDIATE RELEASE STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT March 24, 1944 14 The United Nations are fighting to make a world in which tyranny and aggression can not exist; a world based upon freedom, equality and justice; a world in which all persons regardless of race, color or creed may live in peace, honor and dignity. - In the meantime in most of Europe and in parts of Asia the systematic torture and murder of civilians men, women and children by the Nazis and the Japanese continue unabated. In areas subjugated by the aggressors innocent Poles, Czechs, Norwegians, Dutch, Danes, French, Greeks, Russians, Chinese, Filipinos and many others being starved or frozen to death or murdered in cold blood in a campaign of savagery. the are The slaughters of Warsaw, Lidice, Kharkov and Nanking brutal torture and murder by the Japaric se, not only of civilians but of our own gallant American soldiers and fliers- these are startling examples of what goes on day by day, year in and year out, wherever the Nazis and the Japs are in military control -free to follow their barbaric purpose. In one of the blackest crimes of all history begun by the Nazis in the day of peace and multiplied by them a hundred times in time of war the wholesale systematic murder of the Jews of Europe goes on unabated every hour. As a result of the events of the last few days hundreds of thousands of Jews, who while living under persecution have at least found a haven from death in Hungary and the Balkans, are now threatened with annihilation as Hitler's forces descend more heavily upon these lands. That these innocent people, who have already survived a decade of Hitler's fury; should perish on the very eve of triumph over the barbarism which their persecution symbolizes, would be a major tragedy. It is therefore fitting that we should again proclaim our determination that none who participate in these acts of savagery shall go unpunished. The United Nations have made it clear that they will pursue the guilty and deliver them up in order that Justice be done. That warning applies not only to the leaders but also to their functionaries and subordinates in Germany and in the satellite countries. All who knowingly take part in the deportation of Jews to their death in Poland or Norwegians and French to their death in Germany are equally guilty with the executioner. All who share the guilt shall share the punishment. do 2 Hitler is committing these crimes against humanity in the name of the German people. I ask every German and every man everywhere under Nazi domination to show the world by his action that in his heat he does not share these insane criminal desires. Let him hide these pursued victims, help them to get over their borders, and do what he can to save them from the Nazi' hangman. I ask him also to keep watch, and to record the ovidence that will one day be used to convict the guilty. In the moantime, and until the victory that is now assured is won, the United States will porsevero in its efforts to rescue the victims of brutality of the Nazis and the Japs. In so far as the necessity of military operations pormit this Government will use all means at its command to aid tho cscapo of all intondod victims of the Nazi and Jap executionor - regardless of raco or religion or color. We call upon the free peoples of Europe and Asia temporarily to open their frontiers to all victims of oppression. We shall find havens of refuge for them, and we shall find tho moans for their maintenance and support until tho tyrant is drivon from their homelands and thoy may return. In the name of justice and humanity lot all freedom loving pcoplc rally to this righteous undortaking. 15 ६ 740.00116EW 39/1368 39/1368 The principle conditions resulting in a restrictive visa policy for the United States: 1. The attitude on the part of the individual officers assigned to visa work by the several security agencies (FBI, MID, ONI, Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the Department of State). These officials follow the policy that when the visa applicant appears to be suspected the "United States is given the benefit of the doubt". The result is that where any of the sponsors or the visa applicant has any connection which contains the slightest indication or suspicion that there is any connection whatsoever with the enemy, the visa case is held in suspense. 2. Individual visa-issuing consular officers have had impressed upon them a "No Visa" policy. Consular officers are generally prone to let their individual opinions of the personalities of visa applicants weigh in the balance against the latter. 3. The famous "Relatives Clause" has been responsible in recent years for the greatest number of visa refusals or placing of visa cases in suspense. Within the frame work of the existing immigration laws and regulations, the following suggestions are made to overcome the above-mentioned difficulties and possibly to liberalize this Government's visa policy. Doc. 37 191 192 1. An effort should be made to urge the security agencies to take negative action in visa cases except when there is concrete evidence that the visa applicant's entry would be prejudicial to the security of the United States. The present visa policy, while seemingly complicated, nas many advantages in protecting national security and with intelligent application, should not unduly delay, or prevent the entry into this country of bona fide refugees. 2. Efforts should be made to obtain from the Department of State an instruction to consular officers informing them that the Department's policy is that visas should be issued to all persons qualified under existing laws and regulations and whose cases have been cleared in this country for security and against whom the consular officers have no definite evidence that the applicant is either employed by or sympathic to the enemy. In all cases portending visa refusals involving security, the consular officers should, before refusing the visa, submit to the Department such evidence as they may have. The instruction should contain a definite statement that consular officers should avoid any appearance of permitting personality to enter into their consideration of visa cases. Emphasis should be given to the fact that consular officers handling visa work are solely officers administering the United States Immigration Laws and Regulations and that, in this connection, they have no responsibility for determining the type of immigrant to this country 3. Days of the applicability of the "Relatives Clause" are passed. While the reasons for its application were valid at the time of its establishment, the "Relatives Clause" no longer serves any purpose except to restrict immigration. The Germans are no longer in a position to threaten refugees with the death, torture, etc., of their relatives should the refugees not comply with German demands that they become enemy agents. The Germans have already done, and are doing, their worst to relatives remaining in Germany and German-occupied territory. The internal security system now in force in the United States has practically eliminated any possibility of refugees acting against the United States if admitted thereto. The "Relatives Clause" was necessary at the time of its establishment because of the then limited means available to the security agencies. I believe that the abolishment of the clause will go a long way toward permitting the entry in the United States of those refugees who are qualified for admission. War Refugee Board Proposal for "Free Ports" On 5 May 1944 George L. Warren of the War Refugee Board wrote a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr., in which he discussed the conservative reaction of the Department of War to the proposed U.S. “free ports" for refugees of foreign nationalities. The letter points out the difficulties the WRB was encountering in its negotiations with other governments to persuade them to accept large numbers of refugees when the United States did not have a liberal refugee policy. Finally in August 1944 President Roosevelt agreed to implement the Fort Ontario project, whereby fewer than one thousand refugees from Italy were given safe haven in Oswego, New York. This symbolic gesture on the part of the United States served to reinforce other governments' staunch resistance to a free-port policy. Reprinted from David S. Wyman, ed., War Refugee Board: Special Problems, vol. 9 of America and the Holocaust, (New York: Garland Publishing, 1990), 114–16. Doc. 43 114 Seoretary of War is a copy of his letter of March 1 to Mr. Pehle intended for submission to the President) inadequately presented the · position of the Secretary of War on the subject at the meeting of the Board. The letter further presents the argument that the President 40411x also expressed doubt that the war power of the President would be FW 840.48 REFUGEES /5499 |