811.111 Colleges 62/54
Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State (Carr)
Mr. Leitner of the German Embassy called to see me, at the request of the Ambassador, on Tuesday afternoon, the 10th of November, in regard to an extension of the time in the United States of certain German students.
He said that last spring when the question of the admission of German students was discussed with the Department there were twenty-nine students in this country, ten of them have departed, and nineteen are still here and have been here for possibly one and one half years; their original understanding was when they entered the United States that their time would be extended to a total of approximately two years. Last spring, however, the decision was made by the Department of Labor to extend the time for six months longer.
Mr. Leitner said that these were the last of the students that had entered the United States under the arrangement with the Department of Labor and it was desirable that they should return to Germany as well satisfied as possible and hence the Embassy felt that the extension of their time for another six months to carry out their original understanding when they entered would be in the interest of fairness to them and of both countries and that they would derive the maximum benefit from their residence in the United States.
I told him I thought that in view of the employment situation in this country the chances of extending their time were doubtful but that I would discuss it with the Department of Labor.
[Page 334]Yesterday I discussed the matter with Assistant Secretary Husband and he told me that the Department of Labor had been over the entire subject at great length, had discussed it with various senators, with the representatives of the students, and with representatives of The White House, and had taken the position very definitely that they would not be justified in extending the time of the students. Their information is to the effect that the students are, for the most part, holding drafting jobs in this country which could be very properly filled by American employees and that the Department of Labor can not agree to any further extension.
I informed Dr. Leitner of the German Embassy this morning (November 13) of the decision of the Department of Labor, and expressed regret that the extension desired could not be made.