Evening star., 1950-09-23

tration provisions of this bill-that
it would require Communist organ
izations to label all their publica-
tions and radio and television
broadcasts as emanating from a
Communist source. The fact is that
this requirement, even if Constitu-
tional, could be easily and per-
manently evaded, simply by the
continuous creation of new organi-
cations to distribute Communist in
formation.
Section 4(a) of the bill, like its
registration provisions, would be in
effective, would be subject to dan
gerous abuse, and would seek to
accomplish an objective which is
already better accomplished under
existing law.
This provision would make un-
lawful any agreement "to perform
any act which would substantially
contribute to the establishment
within the United States" of for
eign controlled dictatorship. OF
course, this provision would be un-
constitutional if it infringed upon
the fundamental right of the
American people to establish for
themselves by Constitutional meth
ods any form of government they
choose.
Constitutional Question.
To avoid this, it is provided that
this section shall not apply to the
proposal of a Constitutional amend
ment." If this language limits the
prohibition of the section to the use
of unlawful methods, then it adds
nothing to the Smith Act, under
which II Communist leaders have
been convicted, and would be more
difficult to enforce. Thus, it would
accomplish nothing. Moreover, the
bill does not even purport to define
the phrase, unique in a criminal
statute, Substantially contribute >
A phrase so vague raises serious
Constitutional question.
Sections % and Is of this bill
are directed toward the specific
questions Of who should be admitted
to our country, and who should be
permitted to become United States
citizen. I believe there is general
agreement that the answers to those
questions should be: We should ad-
NIT to our country, within the avail
able quotas, any one with legitimate
purpose who would not endangel
our security, and we should admit to
riti1on shin onv i'm ~ ovo ~ ,1yt,n will
be loyal and constructive member
of the community. Those are es-
sentially the standards set by exist
ing law. Under present law, we dc
not admit to our country known
Communists, because we believe
they work to overthrow our Gov
ernment, and we do not admit
Communists to citizenship, because
we believe they are not loyal to
the United States.
Would Damage Security.
The changes which would be made
in the present law by Sections %
and Is would not reinforce those
sensible standards. Instead, they
would add number of new stand
ards, which, for no good and suf-
ficient reason, would interfere with
our relations with other countries
and seriously damage our national
security.
Section % would, for example, ex-
clude from our country any one who
advocates any form of totalitarian
or one-party government. We, OF
course, believe in the democratic
system of competing political par
ties, offering a choice of candidates
and policies. But a number of coup-
tries with which we maintain
friendly relations have a different
form of government.
Until now, no one has suggested
that we should abandon cultural
and commercial relations with q
country merely because it has a
form of government different from
ours. Yet Section % would require
that. AS one instance, it is clear
that, under the definitions of the
bill, the present government of
Spain, among others, would be clas-
sifled as ''totalitarian." AS a result.
the Attorney General would be re-
quired to exclude from the United
States all Spanish businessmen. stu
dents, and other n-offcial travel
ers who support the present govern
ment OF their country. I cannot
understand how the sponsors of this
bill can think that such an action
Woud contribute to our national
security.
Moreover, the provisions of Sec
ton % of this bill would strike a
serious blow to our national secur-
lty by taking away from the Gov
ernment the power to grant asylum
In this country to foreign diplo-
mats who repudiate Communist i'm
perialism and wish to escape its re-
prlsals. 1t must be obvious to any
one that 1t is in our national inter-
est to persuade people to renounce
Communism and to encourage their
detection from Communist forces.
Many of these people are extremely
valuable to our intelligence opera
tions. Yet, under this bill, the Gov
ernment would lose the limited
authority it now has to offer asylum
in Jur country as the great incen-
tive for such detection.
In addition, the provisions of Sec
ton % would sharply limit the
authority of the Government to
admit foreign diplomatic represen-
tatives and their families on official
business. Under existing law. we
already have the authority to send
out of the country any person who
abuses diplomatic privileges by
working against the interests of the
United States. But under this bill
whole series of unnecessary re-
str1ctions would be placed on the
admission of diplomatic personnel.
This is not only ungenerous, for a
country which eagerly sought and
proudly holds the honor of being
the seat of the United Nations; it is
also very unwise, because it makes
our country appear to be fearful
OF foreigners" when in fact we are
working as hard as we know how
to build mutual confidence and
friendly relations among the ma
tions of the world.
Contrary to Interests.