Speech #660103939

The act of May 22. 1918. which makes possible the prevention of undesirable individuals from departing for the United States will automatically cease to be operative upon the establishment of a condition of peace. Individuals will then be free to come here for whatever purpose they choose. and rany will come for purposes which we can not approve and which may. indeed. be dangerous to the country and to its institutions. Tile immigration officials enforcing the immigration laws at the ports of the United States will not be able successfully to prevent the entry of all improper and dangerous persons because of the impracticability of developing a system of intelligence and investigation abroad to work in sufficiently close relationship to the iminigration organization in the United States to be thoroughly effective in distinguishing between those individuals whose right to admission should not be questioned and those whose admission would be injurious to the country. The experience gained dluring time war shows thint an efficient system of passport control. administercd by the Depart Iiient of State through the diploiatic and consular officers iii foreigmi countries. Canl be depeiided upon to exclude practically all persons whose admission to tile United Staites would be dangerous or contrary to the public interest. If the Congress concur iii the view that the national welfare requires that the class of persons to which I have alluded should not enter this country. it is my belief that the simplest anl most effective method that can be adopted would be to continue the system of control now being carried oii by the Department of State. working in close cooperation with the Commissioner General of Immigration. It is obvious that effectiveness of control can oily be obtained through supplementing the regular diplomatic and consular personnel with a sufficient number of reliable and capable men. and.such ien as would be useful can be had only through the payment of adequate compensation. The Secretary of State estimates the expenditure required for the remainder of the current fiscal year at $750.000. including a number of. additional employees in the Department of State who would be charged to supplemnt the administrative organization now maifithined there.