Evening star., 1953-07-05
Plane StowawaY, Is,
Waits on Ellis Island
For Promised Land
BY the Assoeiated Press

ing at night, scrounging food off
the country, always vigilant, he
went west.
Poland was behind him as he
made his way through the Rus
sian zone of Germany. The
police chased him more than
once. He stayed in a stream
when they pursued him with
bloodhounds. Emaciated and
exhausted, he at last crawled
through the Iron Curtain into
West Germany.
1t was night in Frankfurt. A
huge plane stood near a hangar.
No one paid any attention as the
boy watched it furtively. On it
was lettered a great word, the
most important word in the
world to the boy: American.
That was where he wanted to go.
That was what he wanted to be.
Seized BY Inspector.
When no one was looking he
darted into the empty Pan Amer
lean air liner and hid in the
baggage compartment. He did
not know how lucky he was. He
might have frozen to death or
died from lack of oxygen if he
hadn't happened to pick plane
with a pressurized, heated bag
gage compartment.
Hiding among the luggage, the
boy rode for hours in darkness.
Finally the plane descended, a
door opened. There were voices
and then silence. That was the
moment for him to creep out.
But his nerve failed him. After
a while an inspector pushed into
the compartment.
We'll, look what's here"
drawled the inspector. He led
the lean, wide-S -Shouldered, red
haired youth onto the ground.
The boy blinked around at New
York's IdleWild Airport. This
was America. This was the
promised land.
Come on" said the inspector.
you're going for a little boat
ride to Ellis Island"
That was on May 81, 1852.
Boy Still on Island
Today, the youth, Karl-Heinz
Pfeiffer, now 18, still is on the
island-gateway to America for
millions since it became an i'm
migrant station in 1892.
At least he says his name is
Karl-Heinz Pfeiffer. At least he
says he came from Poland. But
he has no papers, no proof he is
who he says. Looking into his
blue eyes, however, immigration
officials are inclined to believe
him.
He seems to be a good kid, a
nice kid" says Edward j.
Shaughnessy, district director of
the immigration and Naturali-
cation Service.
Il want to be American" says
Karl.
There was a time when he
might have made it. There was
a time when a ShreWd examiner,
looking at him and hearing re-
ports of his cheerfulneSS and
will to work during his exile on
Ellis Island, might have thought:
It's big country. let the coun-
try swallow him and he. will
serve her we'll.
But today Karl-HeinZ Pfeiffer
has little chance of becoming an
American.
Reflects Controversy
In one aspect Karl reflects the
controversy over the McCarran-
Walter immigration Act which
authorizes 154,657 quota imnS~
grants to enter this country an
nualIy. The immigration Sub
committee of the Senate Ju-
dietary Committee has been
holding hearings on request by
President Eisenhower for emer-
gency action which would per-
nit 240,000 Europeans, mostly
refugees, to enter outside of
quota over the next two years.
Karl automatically is excluded
as an alien StowaWay under the
act. Normally the ship that
brings a Stowaway here must
take him back. If that fails
as rarely happenS-the line is
charged So a day for the time
Uncle Sam keeps him on Ellis
Island. In Karl's case Pan
American has forked over 81, 200
thus far, making his Atlantic
crossing one of the most expen-
sive on record.
Opponents of the American
McCarran Act-numerous and
vocal-could seize on the case of
Karl as an instance of unfair
ness in the law.
Assuming that Karl's story Is
true and he deserves admittance,
it also is true that the same
provision of the law excludes
thugs and mugs who stow away
in the hope of reaching America.
Under the McCarran Act, as
affirmed by the Supreme Court.
a person excluded from the
United States can be held on
Ellis Island until another nation
will accept him. In Karl's case
Poland has refused to take him
back. Thus far. too. the Bonn
Republic has refused to accept.
him.
DalIhnaYnYe aro eoInrfnd