Speech #850083341

The proposal before us is merely a resolution. I am interested in action. I am disturbed over the factand I should like to ask the distinguished Senator from California if he does not share my alarmthat we have not done enough to take into our own country Hungarian refugees who actually have fought on the frontiers against tyranny. The distinguished Vice President of the United States made a trip to the boundaries of Hungary last December. I recently reviewed the newspaper clippings resulting from that trip. There was a great deal of fanfare and heraldry over all that was to be done by the United States for the victims of oppression and tyrannyfor the people who actually fought against Soviet tanks. The Vice President returned. and I believe there was a great rally at Madison Square Garden. Everything was to be done for the Hungarian refugees. I have been interested and concerned to note. however. that our vast country has done infinitely less for those refugees. considering our wealth and size. than have many smaller lands. Let me cite one set of statistics which I think is very germane to this question. The Netherlands. a small country of limited resources. has taken 42 Hungarian refugees for each 100.000 of the population of the Netherlands and has taken 72 refugees for each $100 million of national income of the Netherlands. By contrast. the United States has taken only 18 refugees from Hungary for each 100.000 population. and only 9 for each $100 million of national income. My question to the distinguished minority leader is this: Does he not thinkand I know that he sincerely opposes this dreadful Soviet tyranny with all his heart and soulthat in addition to adopting this resolution we might well buttress our genuine intentions in this respect with a more ample and successful program of admitting across the borders of the wealthiest country in the world some of these unfortunate refugees who have actually risked their lives and who have been maimedcertainly psychologically. if not physicallyfighting against Soviet tyranny within Hungary?