Speech #790217284

Mr. President. I wish to review briefly the actions of this Government and the British Government with regard to the admission of a hundred thousand Jewish refugees into Palestine. or the failure to admit such Jews into Palestine. I hardly need to call attention to the Balfour Declaration of November 2. 1917. pledging the support of the British Government to the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people. Whatever else it implied. it certainly implied a home to which Jews could go without immigration restriction. A mandate for Palestine granted to the British after the World War. provided expressly that the British Government would be responsible for putting into effect the Balfour Declaration. In April 1922. Congress passed a resolution pledging the support of our Government to the same policy. Gradually. after that. the British Government steadily restricted the immigration of Jews into Palestine. During the World War they restricted it to such an extent that practically no certificates were granted. and many Jews who might have been evacuated from enemy countries. where they subsequently died or were persecuted. were excluded from Palestine and the opportunity for life and future happiness. In the latter part of 1945. President Truman wrote a letter to the British Prime Minister. suggesting that a hundred thousand Jews be immediately admitted into Palestine. He called attention to the terrible condition of these displaced persons. who were then and are still held in concentration camps in the occupied areas at the expense of the Allied Governments. In December 1945. this Congress adopted a concurrent resolution. commending the President for that action. and declaring that the United States should use its good offices with the mandatory power "to the end that Palestine shall be opened for free entry of Jews into that country to the maximum of its agricultural and economic potentialities. and that there shall be full opportunity for colonization and development." I have deliberately omitted reference to the establishment of Palestine as a democratic commonwealth or Jewish national home. which has been the subject of much debate and difference of opinion. because I wish to emphasize the immigration question. Whatever difference there has been on the commonwealth and Jewish national home problems. there has been an absolutely unanimous support for Jewish immigration into Palestine to relieve the present disgraceful situation regarding the war refugees. In reply to President Trumans letter. the British Prime Minister suggested a joint committee. American and British. to study Palestine problems with special reference to immigration. Our Government reluctantly agreed. realizing that this would involve a serious delay. It did involve at least 3 months delay while the concentration camps continued. Then the committee reported and made the following definite recommendation among others: We recommend (A) that 100.000 certificates be authorized immediately for the admission into Palestine of Jews who have been the victims of Nazi and Fascist persecution. (B) that these certificates be awarded as far as possible in 1946. and that actual immigration be pushed forward as rapidly as conditions will permit. The committee also recommended that the restrictions on the purchase of land by the Jews be largely removed so that such land might be available for the immigrants. One would think that upon this report both Governments would have proceeded rapidly to relieve the present situation. President Truman issued a statement on April 30 giving his strong approval to these recommendations.