151.10/1913
Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State (Long)
Majority Leader McCormack called me by telephone today and told me that he had sounded out some of the members from the West Coast and they were not opposed to legislation during war-time admitting Chinese in limited quantities. He thought there would be a good deal of sentiment in the Congress for such legislation. He thought the Chinese Wives Bill could be reported out and passed.
I told him we had been giving serious consideration to the subject matter and wondered whether legislation would be agreeable if it placed the Chinese under the quota and repealed the discriminatory provisions of the Chinese Exclusion Laws. The legislation should also make Chinese admitted thereunder eligible to citizenship—the legislation would not affect Chinese persons now under the war-time jurisdiction of Japan.
He said that he thought there would be sentiment for such legislation and that it could be passed. I told him that it had been suggested I talk with Mr. Dickstein.12 He suggested instead that I talk with the Speaker and with him.
I advised the Majority Leader that I would seek an engagement with the Speaker in the next few days for the purpose indicated.
- Samuel Dickstein, Chairman of the Committee on Immigration and Naturalization of the House of Representatives.↩