Speech #830272102

I have received information in response as follows: As a matter of convenience. I have quoted your paragraphs in toto for ready reference: "1. Information furnished by your office indicates that as of July 2. 5.633 visas were issued under the act. with 7.688 visas issued to date. This compares with a goal of 10.000 visas by June 30. 1954. a reduction from the original goal of 15.000 which was. as I understand it. established by your office. Could you advise me why the goal was not met and could you let me have your latest figures on the actual arrival of refugees and escapees under the program into the United States as of the end of the 1954 fiscal year?" The original goals established for the issuance of visas were. of course. planning estimates which had to be revised from time to time in the light of prevailing circumstances. The difficulties encountered with staff expansion. promulgation of regulations. and administrative provisions by the Department and the multiple participating agencies. together with the diplomatic negotiations with the various foreign governments concerned. reflect but a few of these intervening circumstances which prevented the attainment of our original issuance goals. However. as of August 20. over 35.000 alien applicants have been advised of the documentation requirements under the act. 8.010 visas have been issued. 943 have been refused. and some 4.000 additional applications have been approved and await final visa action in the next 2 or 3 weeks. This totals almost 14.000 cases satisfactorily dealt with to date. At the end of the 1951 fiscal year. 819 persons had entered the United States under the act. all of whom were in the preference categories. As of August 13. the Immigration and Naturalization Service reports that this figire has increased to 3.734. including 198 orphans and 41 aliens residing in the United States whose status was adjusted by the Attorney General under section 6 of the act. "2. Attention is invited to the large proportion of preference immigrants constituting those receiving the visas issued. aggregating for Italy and Greece alone as of the end of the fiscal year some 5.400 of the aggregate amount of visas issued and as of the last reported date 7.350. I favor help with this problem as proposed by H. R. 8193 now nearing Presidential approval. One of the important objectives of the act was also in the issuance of visas to escapees. I would very much appreciate receiving now your views as to the reasons why the modest goals established for escapees under the act have not been attained." While it is true that the emphasis has been on the preference category of cases during the early stages. this. once again. was the result of practical operating necessity. particularly in Italy and Greece. In these two countries. a vast number of duly registered aliens under the regular quotas were also potential applicants under Public Law 203. Consequently. the supervisory consuls general. with the concurrence of the Department. desired to concentrate their efforts on this backlog. They were not in a position to process nonpreference cases in the absence of the required assurances. which. as you undoubtedly know. are still not being received in the desired numbers. In this connection. a program for stimulating sponsorship by United States citizens of potential immigrants under the act has been initiated by the Department. As the first step in this direction. President Eisenhower has sent letters to the governors of 47 States suggesting formation of State advisory committees similar to that established in New York by Governor Dewey.