Editorial Note
The legislative history of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 is complex. The first omnibus immigration and nationality bill, S. 3455, was introduced on April 20, 1950 by Senator Pat [Page 1570] McCarran (D.–Nev.). A revised version of this bill, incorporating various changes proposed by governmental and non-governmental agencies and organizations, was introduced by McCarran on January 29, 1951, as S. 716. On February 5, 1951, Representative Walter introduced a companion bill, H.R. 2379. From March 6 to April 9, 1951, the House and Senate Subcommittees on Immigration held joint hearings on these bills.
On August 27, 1951, Senator McCarran introduced a third version of his omnibus bill, S. 2055, which reflected the various changes urged at these hearings. On October 9, Representative Walter introduced a revised companion bill, H.R. 5678, which was passed by the House on April 25, 1952, by a vote of 206 to 68. On May 22 the Senate, by voice vote, passed a revised version of the McCarran bill, now numbered S. 2550. The Senate also voted to strike out H.R. 5678, substituting the provisions of S. 2550 but retaining H.R. 5678 as the bill number.
Differences between the Senate and House versions were reconciled in conference on June 9. The conference report was adopted by the House on June 10 by a vote of 203 to 53, and by the Senate on June 11 in an unrecorded vote. President Truman vetoed the bill on June 25. On June 26, the House overrode the veto, 278 to 113; on June 27, the Senate followed suit by a vote of 57 to 26. The Immigration and Nationality Act (Public Law 82–414) was thus enacted on June 27, 1952, and became effective on December 24. For text, see 66 Stat. 163.