Evening star., 1948-06-11
Jewish Displaced Persons


The Sunday Stars editorial a the Senate
approved displaced persons bill Il disappoint-
ing for two reasons. First, am somewhat sur
prised to see The Star, which has 20 inteln-
gently and vigorously fought for displaced per-
sons legislation, become. at this critical point,
10 Indifferent to the actual kind Of legislation
which win be enacted. Secondly, I am some
what surprised to fnd The Star suggesting that
the charge that the Senate legislation dis
eliminates against Jewish displaced persons is
of very dubious validity"
The editorial nowhere indicates on what
basis The Star believes that the contention
that the legislation discriminates against jew
ish D. P.'s is Of dubious validity" On the
other hand, no expert in the field Of immigra-
ton has questioned the contention that the
bill, as reported out Of the Senate Judiciary
Committee, has that very result, whether its
sponsors intended it to have that result or not.
Only last Sunday Earl Harrison, former COM
missioner Of immigration and naturalization
and now dean Of the University Of Pennsyl-
vania Law School, made this very contention.
careful examination Of the facts brought out
in the debate last Tuesday and Wednesday on
the floor Of the Senate would prove to any one,
I believe, that the enactment of the bill as
passed by the Senate would have this effect.
In fact, the Senate refused to amend the bill
SO as to include clause providing for nom
discrimination in favor Of or against any ele-
ment or group among the d. P.'s
The editorial makes the argument that even
II this is true 1t Is important that some kind of
legislation be adopted and that there should be
no more delays in the enactment Of displaced
persons legislation. While agree with your
note Of urgency, this argument reminds me of
the story Of the gentleman, who, WHEN advised
that his wife was seriously Ill and something
had to be done Immediately, Jumped out of the
window and committed suicide OF course, dis
placed persons legislation should be enacted but
in doing so there should be some Semblance Of
fairness. think 1t Is unfortunate that The
Star, which has SO consistently championed
basic democratic principles. should, in an in
stance such as this, suggest that the basic DEM
ocratic principle Of nondiscrimnation should
be discarded in order to get some kind" of
displaced persons legislation.
NORMAN GERsTENFELD
Editors Note: The Senate bill is worded so
that half of the 100000 visas to be issued
under its terms would so to displaced persons
who are farmers and who came from the
Baltic states or Eastern Poland. 1t is to be
would be eligible in these categories.
The total of displaced persons-all figures
are approximations-is somewhere between
100000 and SOC, ,O00 OF these $4,000 are
Jews and 1000 are Balts. The Star has
not been able to obtain any satisfactory
figure As to the number of Eastern Poles.
So in practical effect the bill reserves half
of the visas for the l7l,000 Bats and an
unknown number of Poles. The Jews, num-
bering 900, or less than 20 per cent of
the total number Of DPS are eligible to
compete for the remaining 30 per cent of
the visas. Other provisions Of the bill, such
as the requirement that applicants must be
able to show they will not become public
charges after entering this country, may
tend to favor the Jews. Then there is the
additional consideration that numbers of
the Jewish DPS have been anxious to 60 to
Palestine, and probably will do so il the
Jewish State Is established there.
These were the principal factors which
prompted The Star to express doubt as to
the validity Of the claim that the Senate
bill discriminates against tho Jews. The
plight Of the non-Jewish DPS is just as
bad, and in some respects more hopeless,
than that Of the Jews. So it seems better
that this Congress should enact some legis-
lation for the benefit Of all DPS, even II
it Is imperfect, than to do nothing and
leave these people to their misery in the
detention caNlpA.