L/UNA files, “Privileges & Immunities; Entry, Transit, Travel—1946–”
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Legal Adviser for United Nations Affairs (Meeker)
- Subject:
- Passports for 3 (7) aliens.
- Participants:
- Mr. Gordon, Office of General Counsel, Immigration and Naturalization Service;
- Mr. Meeker, L/UNA.
Mr. Winings asked Mr. Gordon to get in touch with me concerning my conversation last week with Mr. Winings, in which I asked whether the Immigration and Naturalization Service would consider that our understanding concerning passports in the case of UN officials would apply by analogy in the case of officers of specialized agencies who are unable to obtain passports but possess laissez-passers and either an expired national passport or other official documents showing identity and nationality.
Mr. Gordon said that he and Mr. Winings had discussed this matter with administrative officials in the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The conclusion had been reached that the cases of specialized [Page 222] agency officials in this category would be few and, it was expected, were likely to cause little difficulty. Mr. Gordon said that therefore the Immigration and Naturalization Service would have no trouble in agreeing with us that the same interpretation should be applied with respect to specialized agency officials as was agreed earlier this year with respect to UN officials. However, Mr. Gordon recalled that the understanding between the Departments of State and Justice concerning interpretation of the passport regulations had been intentionally limited to the case of UN officials. The Immigration and Naturalization Service, therefore, felt it should have a further communication from this Department covering the situation of specialized agency officials. He said that the passport regulations were regulations of the Department of State, and that while the INS was prepared to accept our interpretation of the regulations it wished to have some written record of the interpretation made by the State Department.
Mr. Gordon suggested that, to expedite the matter, the State Department send a further communication to the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization, for the attention of the General Counsel.