Speech #830035318

Mr. President. Senate Resolution 326 of the 82d Congress. 2d session. agreed to June 21. 1952. authorized and directed the Committee on the Judiciary or any duly authorized subcommittee thereof to conduct a thorough and complete study. survey. and investigation of the problems in certain Western European nations created by the flow of escapees and refugees from Communist tyranny and to make certain recommendations. Pursuant to the resolution. a special subcommittee of the Committee on the Judiciary. together with a staff. made an extensive investigation in Europe this last summer and has accumulated a vast quantity of information respecting the problem. The subcommittee and its staff. together with representatives from various governmental and intergovernmental agencies concerned with the problem. have since been engaged in numerous conferences regarding the many facets of the issues involved. Worldwide. there are approximately 30 million persons who may be regarded as refugees in the sense that they are uprooted from their homes. However. I may add that there are not very many refugees in the socalled refugee camps. There are four great areas of the world In which these refugees are located. namely. Western Europe. Korea and the Far East. in the Arab countries of the Middle East. and in Pakistan and India. In attempting to circumscribe and delimit the problem which is the most pressing and in which there is reasonable prospect for a practical solution. these issues are presented: First. the relationship between the refugee problem and the problem of surplus population in each of the various areas of the world. and second. the emphasis to be placed upon each of the three approaches to the problem of refugees. namely. relief. integration. and migration. There are at the present time operatIng in Western Europe alone. 10 different governmental or intergovernmental agencies which are dealing with one or more phases of the problem. These agencies include the Mutual Security Agency. which is under the direction of the United States Government and which is expending funds for refugees. the Presidents Escapee Program. which is being operated under the direction of the Department of State by use of funds made available from the Kersten amendment to the Mutual Security Act of 1951. the U. N. High Commissioner for RefuXCIX243 gees. the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration which consists of 21 countries. including the United States. and which has been established primarily for the purpose of transporting migrants from European countries with surplus populations to underpopulated areas of the world. the Food and Agriculture Organization. the World Health Organization. and the International Labor Organization. all of which are affiliated with the United Nations and in which the United States Government is a member and to which the United States Government contributes funds and maintains active liaison through the Department of State. the Manpower Committee of the Organization for European Economic Cooperation. which Committee is concerned principally with the movement of manpower within Europe. the Council of Europe. and. finally. the Ministries and departments of the various European countries themselves. Altogether there are 10 agencies which the United States Government is either supporting wholly or in part with cash. which are dealing with the refugee problem. Although at the present time the United States Government finances in whole or in part most of the programs which are presently in operation dealing with refugees. there is no central uniform policy. nor is there complete coordination and integration of effort in attempting to cope with the problems of European refugees. I have been informed that in fact there is actual competition between these agencies to see who gets to do the work. and they actually compete w4th each other in offering better terms to the refugees and the other agencies. A similar situation exists with reference to the efforts to alleviate the plight of refugees in the other great areas of the world. The Government of the United States. accordingly. has no crystallized policy or program bywhich we can judge who. among the 30.000.000 refugees. worldwide. shall be given relief. who among the refugees shall be integrated in the countries in which they are located and who among the refugees shall be offered migration opportunities to other lands. The effect of the bill which I am introducing would establish a single United States agency where there could be a single uniform policy in our approaches to the many facets of the problem of refugees. It is imperative that the Congress and the people of the United States. as well as the refugees themselves and the other nations of the world. shall know what segment of the problem is to be solved and how. It would appear that this is essential before we can know what course we should take in any other legislative endeavor in the field of refugees. Mr. President. I introduce for appropriate reference a bill to establish the Office of Commissioner of Refugees. and request that the bill be printed in the RECOaD. following my remarks.