We who are your allies and who at the same time would seem to be unwanted as citizens, ask this and only this at this time. We ask for justice for those of us who have spent the last generation in this country; what further action you may choose to take is not up to us to suggest. Mr. LYNCH. I should like to present Mr. Henry Tudor Mason. STATEMENT OF HENRY TUDOR MASON, FOUNDER AND INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT, ALL NATIONS ASSOCIATION, NEW YORK, N. Y. Mr. MASON. Mr. Chairman, and members of the committee, I can be very brief, because I write epigrams. I do not know whether that is a crime or not. The CHAIRMAN. No. Mr. MASON. For twenty-odd years I have had the All Nations Association, and during that period we have had 52 major nations represented through the chambers of commerce and the consuls general. The All Nations Association is fairly well-known to the Congress. We have not sought any benefits, but we have done a large work until we had to go into retirement on account of this war. We cannot have an All Nations Association when we have so many nations at war. I just want to make this remark. I cannot add to anything already said, because it is like gilding the lily. I think almost everything has been said which I could say. The CHAIRMAN. It is pretty difficult for any witness. Mr. MASON. But there is one thing that may have been overlooked. If it was said, I may not have been listening at the moment. That is, I think we are overlooking the fact that this race is the father of the white race, springing from the Indo-Germanic tribes. I do not know whether that was said before or not. And I have heard a great deal about the Chinese, the Javanese, and other nationalities who are purely Asiatics. Now if it is to be considered as a matter of race, instead of as a matter of geography, then they are entitled, from the white man's viewpoint, to a little more consideration from the political standpoint, if not from the human, because they are very, very much akin to the white races. If you will notice the contour of their faces, you will find they have aquiline features, and they have straight black hair. I have heard mention about pigmentation. There is no pigmentation-absolutely no pigmentation. I want to emphasize that. The CHAIRMAN. Well, Mr. Allen should be here. Mr. MASON. That is why I say it. Mr. Allen is not present. Well, of course, as far as I am personally concerned, I do not care a cuss whether there is pigmentation or not. But if you want to look at it from the geographical standpoint, from the quota standpoint, I say they deserve the utmost consideration. Here is another point: We have 52 major nations represented in the All Nations Association, from all walks of life. I have not yet found one of these Hindus, whether they be Mohammedans or Hindus or Zoroastrians, or whether they belong to any of the other religious sects of India-not one drunken man. I have not found one beating up his wife on a Saturday night. 71330-45- -6 The CHAIRMAN. That is something. Mr. MASON. That is something. And I will say this much, that if they put into American citizenship as much spirit as they are putting into their religions, which are constructive and the foundation of our "Do unto others as you would be done by," which was in force 750 years before Jesus-and I happen to be a so-called Christian The CHAIRMAN. Well, you are a Christian. You are not a "socalled Christian." Mr. MASON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. You are a good Christian. Mr. MASON. That is more than diamonds to me. I do not want to take too much time. The CHAIRMAN. Proceed, Mr. Mason. Mr. MASON. I do not want to emphasize these facts, because they seem to have been overlooked. I lost five sons in this present war, six nephews, and two step-brothers. I have no hatred toward Japan, or Germany, or any other nation. So therefore, when you speak of the Chinese and the Japanese, these races are very much akin to each other. Those who are our allies today may be our enemies to morrow. I say then let us give, because we are in a white man's country— essentially a white man's country-let us give to the fathers of the white race every opportunity to show the spirit they put into their constructive religions, to put it into American citizenship. And I want to say this, if a hen lays an egg in a stable, what hatches from the egg is not a horse. And that goes for some Americans born here. I sought my citizenship. I want to be a hundred percent American, if it is possible. But I know this-citizenship does not come by word of mouth, or saluting any flag. I can get any ape from the zoo and dress it, and teach it to salute the flag, any flag. It does not know what it is doing. I used to salute the British flag, the Australian flag, the Canadian flag. And I have been through India from end to end, so I know what I am talking about. I will not take up any more time. I cannot say any more than has been said. But why should these people want citizenship, if they did not have the spirit of citizenship before they ask for it? That is why they are here. And you cannot find in your archives, in your police courts, and I defy anyone present here to find that there is more than 2 percent of them with any criminal tendencies during the last 22 years. Thank you. The CHAIRMAN. We will adjourn until next Tuesday at 10:30. (Whereupon, at 12 m., the hearing was adjourned until 10 a. m., Tuesday, March 13, 1945.) "TO GRANT A QUOTA TO EASTERN HEMISPHERE INDIANS AND TO MAKE THEM RACIALLY ELIGIBLE FOR NATURALIZATION TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 1945 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION, Washington, D. C. The committee met at 10 a. m., Hon. Samuel Dickstein (chairman) presiding. (The committee had under consideration H. R. 173.) The CHAIRMAN. The committee will be in order. Without objection, I will put in the record at this point a letter from the President, in support of this bill. Hon. SAMUEL DICKSTEIN, THE WHITE HOUSE, Washington, March 5, 1945. Chairman, Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: I understand that your committee soon will hold hearings on legislation to authorize the admission into this country under a quota of persons of the East Indian race, and to permit persons of this race to become naturalized citizens. I regard this legislation as important and desirable, and I believe that its enactment will help us to win the war and to establish a secure peace. I am sure that your committee is aware of the great services that India has rendered to the United Nations in their war against the Axis. The Indian Army, raised entirely by voluntary enlistment, has fought with great skill and courage in Europe, Africa, and Asia. India has also furnished and will continue to furnish substantial amounts - of raw materials and manufactured products of great assistance in the prosecution of the war. The present statutory provisions that discriminate against persons of East Indian descent provoke ill-feeling, now serve no useful purpose, and are incongruous and inconsistent. with the dignity of both of our peoples. The quota for East Indian persons would be approximately 100 immigrants a year. There can be no real danger that this small number of immigrants will cause unemployment or provide competition in the search for jobs. It is my hope that the Congress will take steps to remove the present provisions of our immigration and naturalization laws that discriminate against persons of East Indian descent. Very sincerely yours, FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT. I also have two letters from the Acting Secretary of State, Joseph C. Grew, and a letter from the Attorney General, Francis Biddle, all in support of this bill, which I would like to make part of the record at this point. 79 The Honorable SAMUEL DICKSTEIN, DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, February 9, 1945. Chairman, Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, House of Representatives. MY DEAR MR. DICKSTEIN: In response to the request contained in your letter of January 11, 1945, for an expression of opinion concerning H. R. 173 to authorize the naturalization and admission into the United States, under a quota, of Eastern Hemisphere Indians, and with reference to the interim reply sent to you on January 18, 1945, I have pleasure in stating that the Department views with favor the passage of the proposed legislation. The enactment of legislation such as H. R. 173 would, it is believed, remove an outstanding inequity in American immigration and naturalization laws and one which causes bitter resentment against the United States by the people of India, an important member of the United Nations. The Department has been informed by the Bureau of the Budget that there is no objection to the submission of this report. Sincerely yours, JOSEPH C. GREW, The Honorable SAMUEL DICKSTEIN, DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Chairman, Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, House of Representatives. MY DEAR MR. DICKSTEIN: I refer to my letter to you of February 9, 1945, in which I stated that the enactment of legislation such as H. R. 173 would remove an outstanding inequity in American immigration and naturalization laws and one which causes bitter resentment against the United States by the people of India. You will be interested in learning in this connection that the Department has now received strong representations in support of this legislation from Sir Girja Bajpai, the Agent General for India in Washington. The Department has also received a telegram dated February 26, 1945, from the American Commissioner to India, New Delhi, advising the Department that sentiment in India may preclude the extension of reciprocal trade treatment to the United States in the absence of such legislation. Sincerely yours, JOSEPH C. GREW, Hon. SAMUEL DICKSTEIN, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Washinton, D. C., March 3, 1945. Chairman, Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: On February 13, 1945, in response to your request for my views, I commented on H. R. 173, a bill to authorize the naturalization and the admission into the United States, under a quota, of Eastern Hemisphere Indians of India and their descendants. I have now given this bill further consideration and I should like to endorse its purpose. The present provisions of the immigration and naturalization laws which discriminate against the people of India seem to me to be unwise and unfair. This is particularly true in view of the important contributions both of men and material that India has made in the present war. Under the proposed legislation persons of the East Indian race will be eligible to migrate to the United States under the existing quota of 100 per annum now allotted to India but available only to persons presently eligible to naturalization who were born in India. I think this quota restriction is a sufficient protection to this country against excessive immigation from India. Similarly, it seems to me that persons of East Indian descent lawfully admitted to the United States should be eligible for naturalization. The Department's alien registration statistics show that the number of these person now in the country does not exceed 3,896. Consequently, the number of persons who will be eligible for citizenship under this legislation will not be great. If you wish me to do so, I shall be glad to appear before your committee and testify in favor of this bill. I have been advised by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget that there is no objection to the submission of this letter. Sincerely yours, Congressman Celler is recognized. FRANCIS BIDdle, Attorney General. STATEMENT OF EMANUEL CELLER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK Mr. CELLER. Mr. Chairman, I listened with attention to some of the questions propounded by the members of the committee, and if I may be permitted I should like to make some observations with reference thereto. There seems to be a fear in the mind of some of the members of the committee that there will be repeated applications for modifications of the quota laws to permit other Asiatics to come into the country. There is an old Hindu adage which I think is appropriate to express now, to wit: "You never take off your shoes until you come to the river." Until those applications are made I dont' think we need to be concerned about them. But let us assume that those applications are made by the people of Korea, Malay, or Russian-Asiatics, because under the quota law there are some people of Russia that are precluded. I think we must consider each case on its own bottom. When we consider India now and the motivating forces that actuated the President, for example, to make his statement favorable to my bill, and actuated the Department of State to approve the bill, and the Department of Justice, there should be no hesitancy in your favorable action on my resolution. The motivating forces are primarily the wondrous efforts of India in the war, the efforts of India, our ally. But to my mind, over and beyond that, the far-reaching motivation should be the probability and likelihood of opening up a vast amount of trade with India. It means dollars and cents in our pockets. A greatly expanded trade with India will help solve that problem of 60,000,000 jobs after the war. Our real profit in our economy is our exports and our imports. That is, in common parlance, the "gravy" and unless we can expand our exports upward to $10,000,000,000 we are going to be, to use a marine phrase, "in the doldrums." Our export trade now is about 22 billions. That amount would be perilous if it should continue after the war, but the mere passage of this bill that I have offered would create so much good will-and eloquent testimony has been given with reference thereto and in support thereof-that there would be opened up to us a great gateway through which our goods could pass into India. Remember that for the first time in history we have sent a Minister to India. Never before had we done so. We sent Mr. Phillips as our Minister. Our President in his wisdom thought it advisable to send him over there to establish good will between the good people of this country and the good people of India, and he has testified on more than one occasion to the vast possibilities of trade with India; but how can we expect the Indians to trade with us when we have a Chinese or an Indian wall that bars them out personally? |