I also point out. Mr. President. that we have been exceedingly liberaland I think rightly soin the application of the concept of a political refugee. the individual who escapes because of political differences. because he has been a member of a political organization. with which we may find ourselves completely in disagreement. involved in a revolution. or has been a member of an organization seeking to put down a revolution. and finds it necessary for his own personal survival to escape to a foreign country. sometimes our own. My position has always been a very consistent one on this matter. I remember that 2 or 3 years ago I stood on the floor of the Senate and protested a proposal to extradite to the Nationalist Chinese. to Formosa. a man who appeared to be a political refugee from the regime of Chiang Kaishek in Formosa. who was then living in Chicago. It seemed to me. on the basis of such facts as I could obtain. that sending this man from Chicago to Formosa meant we would be sending him back to certain execution. The case record seemed to be one which clearly showed the man to be a political refugee and not what we could call a domestic criminal of the country seeking his extradition. I am not taking any position today with any finality with respect to any refugee who has fled Cuba to the United States. As chairman of the subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations which deals with Latin American affairs. I know that at least some of those who have fled Cuba are truly political refugees. I would view with great concern any policy of the United States State Department which would extradite those persons to Cuba without an exceedingly thorough investigation in connection with the distinction between one who should be extradited because he is a criminal guilty of violating the criminal laws of Cuba and one who. in fact. is a political refugee from the Batista regime. I say that. Mr.
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refugee refugees