Speech #840149329

As national voluntary agencies accredited by the Administrator of the Refugee Relief Act who represent a large segment of the American population concerned with the implementation of the rufugee relief program. we wish to thank you for your repeatedly expressed interest in this program and to solicit your further help in making it fully effective. We look upon the program as a desirable expression of our American foreign policy and of our humanitarian desire to assist the homeless and oppressed. and believe it is to the best interest of our country as well as to the best interests of the homeless of the world that the terms of the act be fulfilled. May we respectfully call to your attention the present situation with reference to the refugee relief program? The present rate of security clearance and of visa issuance in some countries is not now sufficient to complete the processing of the registered applicants who now have assurances nor of those applicants who. we believe. will receive assurances through our agencies during 1956. In Germany. for example. the visa rate of 265 visas per week for the last 10 weeks needs to be increased immediately to more than 373 visas per week through December 31. 1956. to cover all refugees now in processing. Also. actual experience over the past 21/2 years now clearly indicates that changes in some of the provisions of the Refugee Relief Act would be beneficial in carrying out the true intent of this legislation. Therefore we are submitting in the attached statement some proposals which. in our judgment. merit your consideration. We hope that through administrative clarification and acceleration of the refugee relief program where it now lags and through your recommending as necessary to the leaders of both parties in Congress certain reasonable amendments. that the Refugee Relief Act can be fully implemented and its important objectives made possible. To support you in this humanitarian task we are sending copies of this letter and statement to many of the leaders in both Houses of Congress. Respectfully yours.