Evening star., 1952-12-24
LiberteArrives;;
New Law Blocks
Leave for 299
Some Men Involved
Have Been Selling to
U. S. for Is Years
By the Associated Press

By the Assoeioted Press
NEW YORK, Dec. 24.-Immi-
grafton officials today denied
shore leave to 299 of the French
liner Liberties crew of 974 in the
first application of the McCarran-
Walter Act, which is aimed at
keeping subversives from entering
America.
Edward j. Shaugnessy, district
director of the immigration and
Naturalization Service, made the
announcement as the huge pas
Senger ship docked at Pier SO in
the North River.
He said q of the 299 had been
denied shore leave only tenta-I
lively because their seamen's
papers were not in order. Some
of the men denied leave have
been coming into the Port of New
York for Is years an official said.
Of the rest, all but two were
ordered to stay aboard ship for
refusing to answer questions put
to them under the law.
One of the two admitted past
Communist membership and the
other had a criminal record.
inspectors Aboard Ships.
Despite foreign governmental
objections to the new act, which
went into effect last midnight,
both the French Line and the Brit
ish Cunard Line have consented toI
have American inspectors conduct
high seas crew examinations
aboard their largest ships.
The agreement applies to the
Liberte and lie de France of the
French Line and the Queen Mary,
Queen Elizabeth and Mauretania
Of the Cunard Line.
The Liberte was the first big
liner to reach port since the law
became effective.
Crew members were questioned
on the high seas by immigration
Officer Leonard j. Martin of East
Orange, N. j.. who left New York
on the Liberte December 9.
Mr.. Shaughnessy said Mr.. Mar
tin worked IA eight-hour days to
determine whether any crew men,
ber came within the 81 basic
causes for exclusion set forth in
the law.
Mr.. Shaughnessy said that in
270 cases aboard the Liberte, the
crewmen refused "to go into GER
tain union matters and only would
give identifying answers"
Communist Domination Indicated.
There have been indications
that certain of the seamen's
unions are dominated by Com
muniSt elements.
"A thorough investigation is,
of course, being made into these
allegations or statements. l
Our Inspector Martin has
thoroughly questioned all the sea-
men (on the Liberte). While a I
considerable number of them are
members of the c. G.. T. GA French
seamen's union), on the occasion
of this arrival they have been
given shore leave.
This has been done because
they have stated under oath that
they are not members of the
Communist Party or affiliated
with any Communist organiza-
ton, that they do not consider
their union is Communist
affiliate and that they are not
sympathetic to the Communist
cause"
Officers Were Cooperative.
Mr.. Martin said he had been re-
ceived very cordially aboard ship"
and had ''the greatest co-opera-
tion from the officers"
The crew. he said, had heard
about the McCarran Act, so it was
no surprise to them"
Mr.. Martin reported that some
of the men denied entrance had
been arriving in the Port of New
York for as long as 25 years. The
majority of those excluded, he
said, were in the deck and engine
departments.
Some crew members told him
they were waiting governmental
instructions on how to act con-
corning the questioning. Mr.. Mar
tin said union delegates "presum-
ably instructed" crew members.
Where it was evident that a crew.
man would give only an Identify
ing answer. the questioning was
dropped, he said.
An immigration spokesman said
crewmen who were denied en-
trance for that reason might
decide later today to answer ques-
tinos. but that they would then
be subjected to a most rigorous"
examination.
Mr.. Shaughnessy said there was
nothing in the McCarran-Wa
Act requiring the inspectors to
examine the crewmen at sea, but
that it was done as a convenience
so that those eligible to 90 ashore
would not be delayed after arrival
in port, and to eliminate the need
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