Speech #780106440

I have heard nothing about it. So far as I know the President has only become interested since the question was injected before our committee. I am firm in the belief that the time has come for a complete overhauling of our immigration laws to the end that quotas will be materially reduced or completely stopped. at least for the period of readjustment following the end of the war. Our readjustment problem following the war is going to be of such magnitude it will tax the genius of America to solve it satisfactorily. We have been told by high Army commanders that the morale of the soldier on the :front was of the utmost importance and the responsibility of the maintenance of that morale is largely in our hands. I do not believe that our soldiers would be pleased to learn that we were relaxing in our immigration restrictions. We are not going to need a single immigrant in this country for many years following the war. At this moment I want to pay my respects to the great number of immigrants who have come to this country and who have made excellent American citizens. The best service we can render to our allies is to make sure that we presbrve a strong America. Then we can truly be a good neighbor.