Speech #870197894

Mr. President. freedom loving people around the world were thrilled and encouraged yesterday by an Associated Press dispatch emanating from Taipei. Formosa. in which it is stated that the Nationalist Chinese Government has announced it is ready to accept all refugees from Red China wishing to come to Formosa from overcrowded Hong Kong. where thousands of hungry fugitives are being herded back across the border. I commend the Government of free China on this constructive decision. I am sure the British Government is beginning to heed the worldwide protest against the unconscionable practice of sending these refugees from Red China back from Hong Kong to certain death behind the Iron Curtain. We learn from the dispatch that from 6.000 to 7.000 refugees were rounded up last weekend and sent back to Red China by the Hong Kong government. Mr. President. I submit that to send human beings to a "blood bath" in Red China. merely because of economic pressures which are placed upon Hong Kong. is one of the most atrocious international acts in recent history. I am highly gratified by the compassionate and cooperative attitude taken by the Nationalist Government of China. which has said. "We are willing to accept all these refugees"-except. of course. those who are Communist agents and Communists"and will resettle them in Formosa." The Chinese Nationalist Cabinet also announced a decision to allocate 1.000 tons of rice for immediate emergency relief for refugees now in Hong Kong. Mr. President. I call upon the administration in the White House to work through its foodforpeace program. to take steps immediately. first. to make available from our surplus food stocks those foods which are necessary to help the British feed the refugees in Hong Kong. and. second. to make available to the Government in Formosa additional surplus foods required to supplement the foods they will be called upon to supply to feed the refugees they are now accepting from Hong Kong. This is. indeed. the purpose of the foodforpeace program. This is something we can do. We should do it and proclaim it immediately. I should like to see our President present a sterling message which would be hurled around the world. which would say. "We will also establish the policy of making our foodforpeace surpluses of our American food commodities available to other countries around the world who are willing to accept these refugees from Hong Kong." Mr. President. the people in Brazil are seriously considering accepting some of these refugees. I am sure many other countries will do the same. I can think of nothing which could be done which would more encourage freedom fighters everywhere. including those in southeast Asia. in Laos. and Thailand. than to have a manifestation by the President of the United States that we will participate in the feeding of these refugees. whether they are in Hong Kong. whether they are transferred to Formosa. or whether they are accepted by some other nonCommunist country of the world. I visited the refugee centers in Hong Kong 2 years ago. I recognize the problem the British confront there. But I submit that it is not an adequate. nor a logical. nor a humanitarian. nor a Christian answer to send the refugees back. to put them on the bayonets of the Red Chinese. The world is properly astounded at that approach by the British. It is properly rallying to a great expression of global disapproval of that kind of attitude. I hope and believe the British Government will rescind its decision to send Chinese refugees home to certain death. I think our Government should assure the British of our support in meeting the very serious refugee problems it confronts. Providing extra food from our foodforpeace supplies would be an important start in the right direction and we should also express our official disapproval of the policy of sending the refugees back home. I should like to see our Government today take the leadership in making available our surplus foods in order that this kind of mass destruction will not occur because the British are turning back at bayonet point those who escape. and actually turning over to the Communists in Red China those who have crossed the border secretly. Mr.