Evening star., 1952-08-08
Navy Veterans 10 Ask
President 10 Block
Fathers S Deportation
BY the Asseeiatsd Press

br me ASSoctofeo PtOSS
WENDELL, N. H., Aug. 8-TheI
two war veteran sons of Carl
Latva, 49-year -old Finnish-bornl
mill worker ordered deported be-
cause he signed a Communist
membership card in 1884. say they
will appeal to President Truman
in the hope he'll now fight for
us"
His sons, Carl and Paul. told
newsmen last night they will send
a telegram to Mr.. Truman asking
him to save their father from
deportation to Finland-the coun-
try he left when child of IS.
MY brother and I fought for
the things President Truman be-
lieves in," they said. 'We hope
he'll now fight for U.S."
They served in the Navy in
World War II.
To Tell the Story.
Carl said they hadn't made up
their minds what to say in the
telegram "but we're going to tell
the President just what happened
to our father and ask him to please
do something to help"
"I guess he'll receive it all
right" Carl added. He seems the
type of man who would be in
terested in what happens to people
like us"
Their father said he planned
TO go to Boston today to confer
with his attorney, Frederick Frank
Cohen, about appealing the de-
portation order to the United
States Circuit Court of Appeals.
George Dorr, president of the
Dorr Woolen Mill in nearby
Goshen where Mr.. Latva has
worked for 80 years, has given his |
faithful worker" a day of.
McCarran Act Hit.
In Washington, meanwhile.
Senator Lehman, Democrat Of |
New York said the deportation
order "dramatizes the shameful |
mequity" of the McCarran Act,
md Senator O'Conor, Democrat.
Maryland, said he was asking the
Justice Department to make GER
tain no injustice is done Mr..
Latva.
Senator O'Conor. who as a
member of the Senate Judiciary
Committee, took part in framing /
the McCarran Act, said in state
ment:
IF Latva's record during his
long years in the country has been
uniformly good and he has not
actively participated in Commu-
mist activities, that, and the fact
that his two sons served in the
armed forces of this country, are
factors that should weigh in his
favor against any possible injus-
tice stemming from a purely tech
nical Interpretation of the law"
Federal Judge Charles E. Wy
sanski, jr., of Boston ruled with
reluctance" yesterday that Mr..
Latva must be deported under the
McCarran Act.
The act bars immigration or
naturalization Of all aliens and
authorizes deportation Of aliens
who ever belonged to the Com
nunist or Fascist parties.
Mr.. Latva said he told immi-
grafton officials in applying for
citizenship in 1949 that he signed
the Communist party membership
card because they told me they
wanted to win a strike in which
I was involved"
He said he paid a man so cents
when he signed and an additional
10 cents a month for four months
and never heard from them
again"
Mr.. Latva Is free in $4,000 bail
pending an appeal.
Senator Lehman said in a state
ment that Mr.. Latva. the head of
an American family, is "about to
be deported, and his family broken
up, because of the insensitive and
insensible provisions of a law
which regards every alien, and
every naturalized citizen, as a.
likely subversive and a criminal" 81
Urges Defeat Of Act.
Calling for a total repeal Of the
McCarran Act as the only salts
factory solution, Senator Lehman
added:
when this man Joined the
Communist Party he thought he
was just helping to win a strike.
In 1884, he paid a total of col
cents. That is the evidence on
which he is to be deported. despite |
his service in this country. his
wife's service, and his apparently
blamelesS record in his commu-