Evening star., 1940-12-20
u. 5. Officials Split
On Admission Of
Political Refugees
Advocates Of Restricting
Right Of Sanctuary
Win First Round
By EDGAR ANSEL MOWRER,

recommendation work of the PreSt-
dents Advisory Committee on
Political Refugees comes as the
elimination of a long fight as
to who is most properly fitted to
do the preliminary sitting of candi-
dates for political sanctuary in this
country, and what criteria should
prevail. The preteXt, though not
the cause, of the resignation was
Wednesdays release on political
refugees by the State Department.
This release summed up the out
lines Of the situation and what
has already been accomplished:
Namely, the granting of about 1000
immigrant and transient visas to
political victims since June. The
release further pointed out that,
under the immigration laws in
force, the American diplomatic
representative abroad has the final
word on any foreign applicant for
admission to this country and, by
Implication, that he need not take
instructions from the President OF
the United States himself, to say
nothing of State Department Off
cials or important Senators or men,
bers Of presidential committees:
Withdrawal Not Explained.
Immigrant visas, the release
stated, are limited in number by
legal quota. Visitors visas may be
properly granted only to persons
likely to behave themselves while in
the United States. able to support
themselves and with place to re-
turn to when their visa expires. And
1t explained how, for purposes OF
Facilitating the orderly consider
alton of cases of political refugees
recommended by any committee
operating in this country on their
behalf, an international committee
representing the Departments OF
State and of Justice Ito which rep
resentatives of the War and Navy
Departments have been added) has
been set up, headed by Avra M.
Warren, chief of the Visa Division
Of the State Department.
oul VIC daohoS
Of the release ended. 1t did not eX-
plain why the Presidents Advisory
Committee had withdrawn from
visa work. 1t did not describe how,
during the last six months, the ref
ugee problem has been almost the
thorniest question debated in Wash
ington. Department has been against
department, official against official,
consuls abroad against committee
members, the President himself, in
one case, against an official (who
won ouD: all with the numerous
committees surging around the
fight, protesting, pleading, explain
Ing, lobbying.
Three Groups Accepted.
The State Department Srelease
mentioned no committee by name,
since legally, the State Department,
and the State Department alone, Is
authorized to deal with the mat
ter.
In point of fact, three committees
have been more or less accepted as
euarantors of the desirability OF po-
iitical refugees: The so-called Dublin.
sky Committee of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor; Rabbi Wise's COM
mittee to examine the cases OF Jews
who are victims Of, or likely to be
victims of, political persecution, and
the Presidents Advisory Committee
under James G.. Mcdonald and
George Warren. These committees
got busy, right after the French col
lapse, in the hope of relieving the
situation that was driving American
consular officers abroad into rest
homes and nerve clinics.
With the activities of the first two
committees, conceivably because OF
the latent political power they WELD,
Consuls and State Department OH
cials seem to have found little or
no fault. More than 400 of the 485
candidates recommended by the
American Federation of Labor, per-
haps the least critical of the COM
mittees, were admitted with little
difficulty. Also, 576 rabbis and Jew
ish theological students, recon-
mended by Rabbi Stephen A. Wise,
have been passed for visas.
Discrimination Charged.
But with the candidates Of the
Presidents Advisory Committee, the
officials and consuls found it neces-
sary to 20 more slowly. Out of 300
recommended, only about 270 have
been approved. 1t may be that this
committee was more easily imposed
on-as some have charged, despite
the fact that the committee has
probably rejected so applicants for
each one recommended.
What is unquestionable, the lead
ers of this committee, appointed by
the President and in constant con-
tact with him, gained the impress
sion that they were being opposed
and Disseminated against by the
State Department.
1t Is in the nature of officials to
resent the intrusion of amateurs,
however brilliant, into their partic-
ular pastures. The President has
been dragged this way and that by
his desire to be equally loyal to As
sistant Secretary of State Breckin-
ridge Long and Mr.. Mcdonald and
George Warren, whom he personally
appointed to do this job. Appar-
emily, when conflict could no longer
be avoided, he favored the Assistant
Secretary.
Clash of Principles.
Back of any official jealousy there
Is, however, generally thought to be
q real clash of conflicting loyalties:
Loyalty to the principle of this
country's remaining as refuge for
all victims of foreign tyranny and
mistreatment, on which the Nation
was founded; loyalty to the actual
desire that the already imperfectly
digested mass of foreigners, foreign
PHILOSOPHERS and occasionally sus-
picious characters should not be
dangerously increased.
Rightly or wrongly, the impression
prevails here that the Presidents
committee stood for the widest right
Of sanctuary, that the Assistant
G.,~o%,~x o,,L A,,ro yIyo yroy, ctnNl