Speech #870100973

Mr. President. we live In a new age of migrations. The hundreds of thousands of refugees in every corner of the globe. from Miami to Hong Kong. readily indicate these migrations. Lately. we have been reading and hearing a great deal about the flight of refugees from Communist East Germany. A story by Flora Lewis on the front page of this mornings Washington Post. points out that the East German refugee flow is gaining momentum. Another record stream of East German refugeesWrites Miss Lewispoured into West Berlin overnight. frightened by recent Communist declarationAnd I might add. Premier Khrushchevs recent television address to the Russian people. Miss Lewis continues: Between noon Monday and noon Tuesday. 1.741 people registered at the Marienfelde camp in West Berlin. the highest number of new arrivals on a weekday since the East German uprising in 1953. During the previous 24 hours the number of refugees was 1.468. Mr. President. the growing confidence and enthusiasm generated by the Soviet leadership in the claimed invincibility of its goal. world domination. is being vetoed by these valiant refugees from communism. It is no secret that the Soviet leadership. and particularly the East German puppet regime. is embarrassed by the refugee flight. Obviously. it does not speak well for their totalitarian system. Consequently. the East German leadership is pressing for tougher restrictions to stem the flow of refugees. In an unprecedented statement issued on July 29. the leadership bluntly stated that the Western rights in Berlin must be ended this year to halt the flight of refugees. The leadership admitted that the mass migration was shaking the foundations of the East German puppet state. was disrupting the economy. and was damaging the nations standing abroad. Spurious though it may be to the Communist leadership. we cannot stand idly by. Democracy and freedom embody not only a philosophical affirmation. but also an ethical commitment to support vigorously the migration from tyranny. What the free nations cannot do. under any circumstances. is frustrate the natural yearning of peoples for freedom. dim the attraction of liberty. or close the West German borders to refugees from oppression. If we fail in this respect. in Germany and throughout the world. we shall have lost a crucial round in the global conflagration between the free world and the totalitarian powers. Indeed. we shall have lost a round in the struggle for selfdetermination and national independence. Our obligation is clear. The West German Government is to be commended for its efforts to resettle the refugees in an unflinchingly humane manner. Reports indicate that the East German refugees are being rapidly absorbed into West Germany. Miss Lewis points out that "the latest West German employment statistics assure refugees a quick new start in life. Registered job offers in July showed six jobs open for every person seeking work." Mr. President.