Dirva = Field. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1915-current, 1947-05-30
By Ernest X. Kindley
reprint from the Evening Bulletin)


Washington, May 20
CONGRESS may not be persuad-
ed easily to admit to the United
States considerable percentage of
the displaced persons now in UNR-
RA camps in Germany, Austria,
and Italy. Various prejudices will
have to be overcome. The present
shortage of housing will be used
as an additional argument. An ap-
preciable increase in the present
number of unemployed would still
arouse opposition.
At least one misconception which
was evident among some members
of Congress few weeks ago can
be demolished readily, however.
That was the mistaken notion that
these displaced persons are Com
munists. Most of them, on the con-
trary are refugees from Commun-
ism. They refuse to go back to
their native countries precisely be-
cause they fear or hate the re-
gimes which now control those very
countries. Some of them fear re-
ligious persecution, notably a large
group of Jews who have escaped
from Poland. Of what is called
the "hard core" of European dis
placed persons, however, the Jews
comprise only 25 to 309o. The re-
naming belong to the Roman Catho-
lie, Protestant and Orthodox Chur-
ches. Most of them are from Po-
land, Yugoslavia, Lithuania, Latvia,
Estonia, Czechoslovakia and the Rus
sian occupied portions of Austria.
Some are from the prewar USSR.
The persecution which most of these
people dread is political - at the
hands of Communists.
The "hard core" of displaced per-
sons in Europe is estimated at ap-
proximately $4,000 persons. They
are living in UNRRA camps support
ed principally by American money.
UNRRA goes out of existence June
80. The new International Refu-
gee Organization will then take
over. The United States share of
the cost of this organization will
be approximately $75,000,0O0 for
one year.
There are several ways in which
this problem might be handled.
One is to keep this "hard CORE
in concentration camps indefinitely.
AS many of them are children and
as more children may be expected
to be born in the camps, this would
call for a large outlay of money
for many years to come. 1t would
be worse than an Improbable out
lay. For people kept under these
circumstances are bound to deterio-
| rate.
A second alternative is to compel
them to go back to the countries
of their origin. That, in effect, is
what the Russians and their satel-
lites urged, for obvious reasons
Under the leadership of the United
States, the United Nations, in set
ting up the international Refugees
Organization, upheld the right OF
asylum.
A third is to turn them loose
where they are. This would mean
starvation for most of them, or else
add correspondingly to the amounts
of money which the United States
will have to put into Germany, 1ta-
ly and Austria.
The fourth is to resettle them
This is the only humane method
1t is also the most economical. For
it will gradually take these people
off the backs of the taxpayers here
and in other countries and give
them a chance to earn their llvlngs.
Britain and France are taking
some of these displaced persons.
Brazil and some other countries
have indicated that they will or
might take some. But whether re-
settlement is practicable solution
depends largely on the action taken
by the United States. If the "hard
core" is to be liquidated, a con-
siderable part of it must be absorb
ed here. This is reason to believe
4I+ ;f ,,,o do orr mart several