It should be mentioned that the reluctance of some of the Arab States to enter into agreements for the issuance of readmission certificates was believed due to their opposition to what they considered a piecemeal solution to the Palestinian dispute through refugee resettlement schemes. Thus, many of the 800,000 Arab refugees, being for the most part in pitiful condition, were deprived of an opportunity to begin their lives anew by reason of area politics.

Although only 253 visas had been issued to Arab refugees by December 31, 1955, the rate of receipt of assurances had been on the increase, largely owing to efforts of the voluntary welfare agencies in the United States. By June 30, 1956, about half of the visas authorized for Palestinian refugees had been issued and sufficient applications had been received to indicate that all of the visas authorized, the full 2,000, would be issued before the end of the act. No formal cutoff date for the acceptance of new applications was announced by the Administrator for Arab refugees for reasons involving possible area political moves.

The allotment of 2,000 visas was issued before the end of the act. Foreign Service officers, investigators, and staff were given commendation for their work which was carried on under unusually difficult circumstances. Teams of investigators, medical and employment officers were obliged often to go by means of primitive transport to relatively inaccessible localities. During the troubled situation in Egypt, Amman was practically evacuated, but program personnel returned there as soon as conditions permitted and completed the work with success at that post.

A table showing applications and visas issued at the posts in the Near East follows:

Guide to appendix pages on visa applications, issuances, and refugee

arrivals

Charts and lists concerning visa applications, issuances, and refugee arrivals are found in the appendix, as follows:

Visas issued by category, appendix, page 79.

Reported arrivals by country of birth, appendix, page 80.
Reported arrivals by States of destination, appendix, page 81.
Refugees admitted by class of admission and month, appendix,
page 82.

Status of visa applications by sections of act (chart), appendix,
page 83.

Analysis of visa application results, appendix, page 84.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE FOR EUROPEAN MIGRATION

Section 8 of the Refugee Relief Act provided that—

The Secretary of State may, for the purposes of this Act, make such arrangements with foreign governments and with the Intergovernmental Committee for

European Migration as are necessary and appropriate for the purpose of financing the overseas transportation of persons who may be issued visas under this Act. such arrangements to be mutually beneficial to the economies of the United States and the countries concerned, as well as to such persons. Such arrangements, where appropriate, may seek to enable immigrants under this Act to transfer into dollar currency personal assets necessary for defraying the cost of transporation and for use in the United States. Arrangements between the United States and other governments concerned and the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration should also provide for such cooperation and assistance as may be required in the administration of the program authorized under this Act in the territory of the intending immigrant's residence. All transportation by ships or airplanes of aliens under this Act to the United States, the cost of which is defrayed in whole or in part by the Government of the United States, shall be by ships or airplanes registered under the United States flag, if available.

The Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration is an intergovernmental organization of 27 governments, including the United States, which are concerned with the movement out of Europe of indigenous migrants and refugees. Organized at Brussels in 1951 on the initiative of the United States Congress, the Migration Committee had assisted in the movement to all coutnries of 579,036 persons by December 31, 1956. Of this total, 245,503 were refugees. The Migration Committee assists only in the transporation of those migrants and refugees who would not otherwise be moved. The 27 member governments making up ICEM are:

According to a recent Australian Government report, of the 27 participating governments, Australia is the largest single receiver of migrants traveling under ICEM auspices; 623,000 migrants have been moved overseas by ICEM since the committee's inception to February 28, 1957, and Australia received 168,000 or 27 percent of the total. The United States has received 139,000 or 22 percent of the total. For basis of comparison, since the return of peacetime immigration in 1946 through 1956, Canada has received 1,300,000 immigrants, Australia has received 1,100,000 immigrants.

The movement to the United States of refugees holding visas under the act were as follows:

As more visas were issued under the act in the early summer of 1955, the Migration Committee found it necessary to charter the Military Sea Transport Service transport U. S. N. S. General W. C. Langfitt on a cost-reimbursable basis to move refugees to the United States. Space on United States-flag commercial ships proved inadequate to meet the increasing requirements for movements. The General Langfitt remained in this service continuously from July 2, 1955, to April 30, 1957, made 26 round trip voyages from Europe during that period and carried 31,626 passengers. The U. S. N. S. General Harry Taylor was also chartered by ICEM under the same conditions for 4 trips between October 1956 and February 1957 and carried 4,438 passengers. The total number of refugees moved to the United States by United States Military Sea Transport Service transports was 36,064, slightly over one-third of those moving under ICEM assistance. Indoctrination films and talks on American history and Government, industry and education and instructions in basic English, civics, and American customs were provided by ICEM during the 10day passages from Bremerhaven to New York. The great majority of refugees receiving visas under the Refugee Relief Act and who were moved by ICEM were transported to the United States on United States-flag chartered air carriers and on the regularly scheduled flights of United States-flag commercial aircraft.

Of the 94,788 moved to the United States by ICEM, 16,365 were escapees who received assistance in their resettlement efforts through the United States escapee program which has concern for the most recent escapees who have fled from Iron Curtain countries in Eastern Europe to seek freedom in the Western World.

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE REFUGEE ACT THAT DID NOT PASS

As early as December 1954, the Administrator, realizing that amendments to the act were essential for the full accomplishment of its expressed goals and the congressional intent behind its enactment, made recommendations which, in the light of administrative experience, appeared necessary to pave the way for more successful operation of the program.

Practically all of the amendments recommended by the Administrator were embodied in legislative proposals introduced into the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The President, in his message to the Congress on May 27, 1955, recommended broad revision of the Refugee Relief Act. These recommendations were incorporated in Senate bill S. 2113, which provided for:

1. A redefinition of the terms "refugee, escapee" and "expellee," the effect of which would be to relax somewhat the restrictions contained in the definitions of those terms in the act, removal of the limitation that all those who are found to be "firmly resettled" are ineligible for visas, and abandonment of the requirement that a "refugee" must be "out of his usual place of abode" in order to qualify. 2. Adoption of a provision enabling members of a family who are separated from the principal applicant and who cannot accompany the principal applicant at the time the visa is issued, to follow to join him in the United States.

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3. Adoption of a provision to permit an alien afflicted with tuberculosis to come to the United States with his family if all are eligible, notwithstanding the bar of the immigration laws againat a person so afflicted.

4. The reallotment of visas unused during the life of the act to the use of orphans on a worldwide basis and the raising of the maximumage limitation for eligible orphans from 10 to 12 years.

5. Definition of the term "eligible orphan" and the imposition of certain limitations upon the adoption of an orphan by a United States citizen and spouse.

6. Revision of the criteria for adjustment of status of aliens in the United States to eliminate the requirement that they must have entered this country in lawful status as nonimmigrants in all cases.

7. Adoption of a provision to permit voluntary agencies, as well as individual citizens, to file assurances of employment, housing, and against becoming a public charge.

8. Elimination of the requirement that a valid passport or similar document be produced in each case as a prerequisite to the issuance of a visa.

9. Adoption of a provision to place exclusive responsibility upon the consular officer for the determination of eligibility of an applicant. 10. Elimination of the requirement that a 2-year history covering the period prior to an escapee's application for visa must be available. It was the hope of the Administrator that the act would be amended in accordance with the recommendations of the President. However, the Congress adjourned without enacting into law the legislative proposals. Therefore, subsequent to the Graham amendment, the Refugee Relief Act of 1953 remained without revision until its expiration on December 31, 1956.

RESETTLEMENT RECORD

LABOR DEPARTMENT PARTICIPATION, REFUGEE RELIEF ACT

There was some reservation early in the program that American labor was being replaced by refugees, but the balance-and-check system established by the labor assurance regulations was effective in bringing in refugees to fill specific jobs. We were enjoying one of our highest periods of employment in this country at that time, with a total labor force of 64 million people employed.

In a speech in 1955, Secretary of Labor Mitchell stated that in carrying out its responsibilities under the Refugee Relief Act, the Department of Labor had stationed overseas "experienced interviewers, with intimate knowledge of job requirements here in the United States" and that "fitting the men to the job had been well done." Figures show, the secretary said:

that 82 percent of the first group who came over here are working for the employers that sponsored them, which is a very, very high percentage.

Strangely enough, because of the extraordinarily rapid growth of population during the past 10 years, the American economy faces a labor shortage. According to the population forecasts for the next 10 years, the number of persons under 20 will increase about 16 million and those over 65 and 45 will decrease by about 2 million. In the young-adult age group there is a surplus of almost a million marriageable women for whom there are no men.

Cooperation of union leaders was excellent. They assisted in developing proper job specifications for needed skills, and for geographic areas where there are perennial labor pool shortages in general classifications.

United States Employment Service participation in this country

All assurances, whether submitted by individual citizens or endorsed by recognized voluntary agencies, were required to be accompanied by certified copies of job orders before being verified and sent overseas to the appropriate consular officers. The adapted process of job order certification and submission to the State Department paralleled the activity of the United States Employment Service (USES) with respect to its certification activities to the Immigration and Naturalization Service under provisions of Public Law 414 with respect to the entrance of aliens as workers. Each job offer written by the local employment offices throughout the Nation was submitted to the headquarters office of the Bureau of Employment Security with a recommendation for certification. This recommendation was based on a finding that (1) a valid job opening exists, (2) the proffered employment is with a bona fide employer, (3) other workers will not be displaced by the entrance of refugees under the assurance, (4) the proffered employment is permanent, that is, it is continuing in duration with no foreseeable termination date, and it is not temporary or seasonal in nature, and (5) the terms and conditions of employment