Speech #990025530

In a subsequent amendment. Congress dictated that all petitions filed under these sections had to be filed no later than December 31. 1946. Pursuant to the act. between 1943 and lY46. officers of the Immigration and Naturalization Service ["INS"] were sent to overseas military posts to carry out the naturalization of eligible members of the U.S. Armed Forces. In the Philippines. however. naturalization of alien servicemen was impossible because of the Japanese occupation. After the liberation of the Philippines. however. implementation of the Act commenced. In August 1945. the INS sent a representative to Manila to naturalize aliens. Shortly thereafter. the U.S. Government withdrew the authorization of the INS representative because there was some concern that there would be a mass exodus from the PhilIppines of all Filipinos who served in the army on behalf of the Allied cause. Thus. as of October 1945. no further naturalizations were permitted in the Philippines. Subsequently. in August 1946. another naturalization agent was appointed and authorized to operate in the Philippines. Between August 1946 and December 31. 1946.