Evening star., 1951-01-28
McGrath Hits Charue
He Seeks 10 SABOTAGE
Internal Security Act
By Robert K. Welsh

By Robert K. Welsh
Attorney General McGrath hi
yesterday at what he called "ab'
solutely false" complaints that tn,
Justice Department is trying t,
sabotage the Internal Securit,
Act.
He urged. however. that Con,
gress amend the 4-month old Law
to permit discretion in deciding
whether past and present mem.
bers of totalitarian organization
except Communists-should b,
admitted permanently to thi.
country.
He denounced propaganda" O.
the type he said stopped to alleg,
that this department is holdine
up a visa for a 3-month- -old bab,
girl in Spain on the grounds thar
she is member of the Falangist
Party of SPAIN"
Only 10 of 1900 Barred.
He disclosed that only 10 o1
approximately 1900 aliens who
have been temporarily detained
at Ellis Island under the law en-.
acted last September have beer
denied admission.
The law. he declared, should be
changed because Section % makes
a flat declaration" that all aliens
who have been members of totali-
tartan organizations must be
barred from permanent entry into
the United States.
Mr.. McGrath said he is using
discretionary authority granted
him under the law to admit tenn
porarily aliens who have been
only nominal" members Of Nazi
Fascist or Falangist organizations
The main difficulties, for which
he disclaimed responsibility, have
come in connection with aliens
seeking entrance as permanent
immigrants.
Serv1cemens' Wives Affected.
In this category is the Spanish
baby girl mentioned by Mr.,
McGrath. Under Spanish law
anyone born there now is a men,
ber of the Falangist Party, which
the Justice Department has ruled
comes under the "totalitarian''
ban.
Congressional critics of Justice
Department enforcement of the
law also say several hundred wives
OF American servicemen who once
belonged to Nazi or Fascist youth
organizations are being kept out
of the country.
The Attorney General has in
formed the State Department.
whose ConsulS issue all visas
granted to aliens abroad-that his
immigration Service will admit
such aliens only nominally totali-
tartan who bear a visitors visa.
To get such visa, the alien
must first obtain through a COM
plicated process an individual ex-
emption from the totalitarian ban
from the Attorney General.
Authority for Exemptions.
Mr.. McGrath has authority to
make such exemptions only for
visiting aliens-not for permanent
immigrants.
His statement yesterday indi-
Gated it would be all right with
him for those actually seeking ad-
mission as permanent immigrants
to enter on temporary visas.
But State Department officials
say a Consul would be violating
the law himself if he should issue
temporary visa to an alien he
knew planned to live here perma-
nently. This point appears to be
in dispute between the State and
Justice Departments.
Mr.. McGrath said he intends.
subject to the good conduct of the
aliens involved, Ito take the nee
essary action" that will permit
aliens issued temporary visas un-
der the procedure he advocates to
remain in this country until their
status can be made permanent.
Denounces Observation-Disclosures.
Under this procedure" he
held, there is no reason why the
State Department cannot issue
visaS to individuals whose men,
bership in on-Communist totali-
tartan organizations are nominal" !"
He denounced widespread and
gross misunderstanding" of the
Justice Departments position on
the new law. His department, he
insisted, always has been in
complete sympathy with the OBJ
jectives of the Act"
Attacks, he said, came from:
81. The immediate authors of
the immigration provisions of the
Act who are reluctant to admit
that any error or oversight was
committed in drafting the pro-
visions.
80. The Communists and their
fellow travellers who see an op-
portunity to place themselves in
a more favorable position than
they were before the enactment
of the Act by urging an unwar-
ranted Interpretation of the Act.
"3. Well-meaning and patri-
otic individuals who have been
misinformed with regard to this
departments Interpretation of
the Act"
u n Y