Speech #840044664

I am certain that civilian personnel would impressively acquit themselves in these positions. General Swing has claimed that at no time prior to his administration has the wetback problem on the Mexican bcrder ever been brought under control. If the General were acquainted with the history of his own agency. he would know that as recently as 195152 this border was effectively controlled when Congress. through a supplemental appropriation. approved the assignment of additional border patrolmen. and an airlift operation which carried wetbacks to the interior of Mexico. However. in the succeeding regular appropriation these funds were withdrawn and the patrol was reduced to inadequate strength. It was not secured again until General Swing took personnel from other branches of the service and assigned them to border patrol work. Since that time. he has been given the most generous appropriation ever granted to the Immigration Service for border patrol. In his first year as Commissionerfiscal 1955General Swing received $1.300.000 more for border patrol work than his predecessor had in fiscal 1954. For fiscal 1956. the general will have the unprecedented amount of $12.177.000. almost double the amount appropriated in fiscal 1953. If General Swing were honest with the Congress. he would admit to the fact that had he not received the appropriation requested he would not be able to do the jobnot even by the grace of General Partridge. The Service is charged with administering the immigration laws and has functions under the Displaced Persons Act and the Refugee Act of 1953. These laws were adopted by the Congress to give sanctuary to all peoplesand more recently. to give sanctuary to victims of totalitarian communism and nazism. I firmly believe that all of these laws can be more effectively and humanely administered by civilian than by those whose total experience has been in military activitiesI say this. recognizing as I always have. and without in any way disparaging the significant contributions our military personnel have made in the realm of military activities. I suggest that persons whose total experience has been in the Army are rarely fit by experience. training. or ability to carry out functions of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. We are familiar with the hackneyed criticisms of socalled government by crony. Today such criticism may properly be changed to government by generals and this would seem to hold good throughout the entire Government from Generals Swing.