Speech #870088351

Lain America. or ours. He also spoke of the need for more sophisticated counseling. Dean Sayre in turn. urged that a survey be made of refugees who have been admitted to the United States and found permanent homes here and are now integrated and settled. The subcommittee plans to undertake a survey in cooperation with the organizations which have played an active role in the sponsorship and resettlement of refugees in the United States. I believe a sound study and analysis of the roles now played in American communities by those who found shelter and freedom here. could be of very great value. There is no such study available today. The place of refugee problems in the overall pattern of the U.S. foreign policy was touched upon. directly or indirectly. by several witnesses. Dean Sayre. for example. pointedly questioned the propriety of tending to think of the refugee problem as simply one of people in need. He recommended more solid thinking about the relationship of the refugee problem to the various areas of American foreign policypolitical. military. ideological. economicand an approach to the refugee problem which is not in isolation from the planning of our policies in these other areas. Mr. Salzmann. believing that refugees constitute the most telling indictment of totalitarian rule. suggested vigorous and unified American leadership in the refugee field to insure maximum pressure on this weakest link in the Communist chain of power. And Miss Alexandra Tolstoy. president of the Tolstoy Foundation. recommended continued support of the work of the nationality agencies as a brake upon Soviet efforts at redefection. Judge Henry M. Zoleski. representing the Polish American Immigration and Relief Committee. and the Reverend Longinius Jankus. for the Lithuanian Relief Fund of America. advocated continuation of a vigorous U.S. escapee program in Europe and continued aid for escapees who have not yet been able to emigrate for permanent resettlement. Because of the proximity and special nature of the most recent refugee group. namely the Cubans. the subcommittee received a large segment of testimony on current programs to aid Cuban refugees and on recommendations for the future. This is Americas first experience in being the country of original asylum for large numbers of political refugees. It should serve to help us appreciate the problems of countries such as Austria during the Hungarian crisis and West Germany with the greatly increased number of refugees from Communist East Germany. Testifying for the administration and HEW. which administers the Cuban refugee program. Mr. Mitchell declared: Emergency action such as that which confronted us last winter is now behind us. In future months the challenge will be to adjust the refugee to life In this country. to fit him to achieve economic independence. and to promote this development as an individual to the point where he can make his own effective contribution to society while in the United States or upon his return to Cuba. Mr. Mitchell pointed out that the future influx of Cuban refugees into the United States would depend largely upon the Cuban internal political situation. But at least for the presentHe continuedwe are anticipating a continuing influx of substantially increased numbers. and we hope in our new program to be able to provide for them effectively. not only as we have in the past but with some expanded services. He expressed his personal hope. without approval of higher authority. that some aspects of the program in the new fiscal year would. if approved. be extended beyond Florida to other areas of the country. A special report on Caribbean refugees was submitted to the subcommittee by Mr. Salzmann of the International Rescue Committee. The report deals not only with Cuban refugees. but also those from the Dominican Republic and elsewhere. The purport of the expressed recommendations centered around the creation of an ad hoc intergovernmental hemisphere committee to give humanitarian assistance to democratic refugees from totalitarian regimes of the area. The intergovernmental committee would work in partnership with a citizens committee. experienced voluntary agencies. and local authorities. The recommendations of the International Rescue Committee also included the establishment of a free Hemisphere UniversityinExile. . Without question the initial set of hearings pictured. graphically. the plight of the refugeethe figure of dignity. as Mr. MacCracken put it. who in his determination and stubbornness is perhaps the characteristic man of our time. It is the hope of the subcommittee that the recently completed general hearings. and the subsequent hearings on specific aspects of the refugee problem. will act as a generator of greater public awareness and sustained concern on the part of Congress toward the obligation which we as a people have toward world refugees. The Presidents message makes clear that our obligation. while a humanitarian one. is also directly related to the formulation and execution of an effective foreign policy for the United States. We have a grave and urgent responsibility in meeting the challenge of the needs of this vast multitude of homeless people.