(United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). Mr. Chairman. at the last meeting of the ICEM Council I had an opportunity to say a few words of appreciation for the work carried out by the Honorable Francis E. Walter. of Pennsylvania. and to express my regret that he who was such a friend of uprooted people could not be with us on that occasion. We then hoped that good health would soon be restored to him but. alas. we are now denied his good counsel and support. His death is cause for grief- to all who are engaged in refugee work. Time after time during the postwar period he brought his great influence to bear in favor of refugee legislation and. when it was passed. he took .an active personal interest in its administration. The highly significant recent expression of his and of his great countrys willingness to help in resolving the residual refugee problem in Europe was the fairshare principle embodied in Public Law 86648. under which the United States agreed to admit up to 25 percent of the number of refugees accepted by other countries over a given period. This formula. so typical of Congressman Walters practical approach. has proved not only of importance in itself. but also has served to stimulate the active concern of other countries toward a truly international effort. Seldom have the homeless had a more doughty or a more canny ally than the Honorable Francis E. Walter. and we shall miss his help sorely in the years to come. I wish therefore to associate myself and my colleagues of the United Nations Office for Refugees with the memorial tributes that have been paid today to this outstanding man.
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Refugees refugee refugees