840.18/10–2251
Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State for United Nations Affairs ( Hickerson ) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State ( Matthews )1
Subject: Emigration of Surplus Migrants from Europe
Discussion:
Section 16 of the Displaced Persons Act of 1948, as amended (Public Law 555, 81st Congress), authorizes the United States Government to participate in a conference of concerned nations to develop ways of alleviating the problem of excess population in Germany and Austria. Section 115 (e) of the ECA Act of 1948, as amended, directs the Administrator to encourage emigration of surplus manpower from participating countries to areas where such manpower can be effectively utilized. The Foreign Ministers of France, the United Kingdom and the United States at their meetings in London (May, 1950) and New York (September, 1950) expressed their concern with the problem of overpopulation in certain countries in Europe.
Following extensive exploratory conversations with ECA, international agencies and other governments, the Department developed [Page 188] a plan to carry out the intent of the Congress. This plan involves the establishment of interim arrangements between twenty interested governments under which 100,000 would be moved in one year of operation at a cost of approximately $30,000,000, of which $10,000,000 would come from the U.S. Government through ECA. Movement would take place through the use of 12 ships already converted for this purpose soon to be relinquished by the International Refugee Organization.
In order to make the $10,000,000 available, ECA required a legislative history more clearly indicating the Congressional intent than was expressed in the above cited laws. The Department was requested to establish this history. As a result the Mutual Security Act of 1951 (H.R. 5113), authorizes in Section 101 (a) (2) the expenditure of funds up to $10,000,000 for this purpose. The report of the Committee of Conference on H.R. 5113 states specifically that “it is the expectation of the Committee of Conference that steps will be taken as quickly as possible to get the program moving and that funds made available will be used”. In addition, the appropriation bill for mutual security (H.R. 5684) passed by the two houses on October 20, 1951 earmarks $10,000,000 to be used specifically for migration purposes.
It is important that plans be consummated at the earliest date for convening a conference of interested governments to establish a provisional organization to facilitate migration. If the ships now under contract to IRO are to be preserved for this purpose, this provisional arrangement among interested governments must be established immediately. It is a matter of urgency, therefore, that ECA be consulted to determine whether ECA is now prepared to assure the Department that the $10,000,000 will be made available for this purpose at an early date.
On October 10, 1951 the Under Secretary telephoned Mr. Bissell of ECA to determine whether ECA would make the $10,000,000 required to implement this migration plan available at an early date. Mr. Bissell indicated that in view of the legislative history he was bound to make this amount available. However, he could not give final assurance on this until the legislation was approved.
Recommendations:
Now that the appropriation bill has been passed, it is recommended that you again telephone Mr. Bissell, Acting Administrator of ECA,
- (a)
- to secure his assurance that ECA will make the $10,000,000 required to implement this migration plan available at an early date, and
- (b)
- assuming that such assurance is received, to advise Mr. Bissell that, based on that assurance, the Department of State will proceed to convene a conference of interested governments to establish the proposed interim arrangements in keeping with the above legislation.
- Cleared with EUR, GER, UNE, and UNI.↩