International Refugee Organization Press Release No. 123

United States Office INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE ORGANIZATION Room 819, 1346 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C. MIchigan 8000 Herb McGushin, Ext. 7. TRUMAN Ruth Safran, Ext.17. IRO PRESS RELEASE No. 123. HARRY ARCHIVES AND COORDS LIBRARY GOVERNMENT FOR RELEASE A.M. PAPERS SUNDAY, SEPT. 25, 1949. Washington, D.C., Sept. 24--Opportunity still exists for residents of the United States to sponsor Displaced Persons to come to this country under the terms of existing legislation, the International Refugee Organ- ization announced today. The IRO announcement was made to combat what it termed an impression prevalent throughout the country that the quota of assurances was exhausted and that no further sponsorships would be acted upon. The statement came after representatives of the United Nation's Agency visited former Displaced Persons already resettled in a dozen states and found that both they and their sponsors were of the belief that further resettlement opportunities were exhausted. Under the terms of the Displaced Persons Act of 1948, the announcement pointed out, 205,000 Displaced Persons were authorized admittance to the U.S. in the period ending June 30, 1950. Approximately 80,000 of these already have been admitted and others are being processed but the opportunity remains to file assurances for many more thousands who otherwise would be denied admittance. The greatest opportunities for sponsoring Displaced Persons lie in the agricultural field, the announcement said, citing IRO's latest complia- tion of Occupational Skills which list 42,000 men and 13,000 women in pursuits allied to farming. Another major group contains 30,000 professional and managerial workers--20,000 men and 10,000 women--embracing such fields as teaching, engineering, law, music and the pulpit. Similarly, IRO camps hold more than 62,000 workers skilled in both manufacturing and non-manufacturing pursuits. They include many skills for which there reportedly is a shortage in the United States, i.e., 4,370 tailors, 4,527 shoemakers, 4,289 locksmiths, 2,544 carpenters, 2,474 joiners, 1,005 black- smiths, etc. As of March 30 of this year, IRO listed 234,110 workers between the ages of 16 and 65 among its charges. All of them are classified under 235 specific occupations listed in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles of the United States Employment Service. Anpnymous assurances will be the most productive in speedy processing of Displaced Persons as it permits persons or families to be chosen from a backlog of persons already partially screened for emigration, IRO said. An anonymous assurance is one in which the sponsor does not specify a family by name but asks for one headed by a wage-earner with a specific skill. Limitations as to nationality or the size of the family also can be included in the affidavits. Persons wishing to sponsor Displaced Persons can proceed in any one of three ways. They may file assurances required under the Act with the Displaced Persons Commission of their State, with a Voluntary Agency or through the United States Displaced Persons Commission by writing to that agency at Washington 25, D.C.