Letter from Eleanor Roosevelt to Harry S. Truman

VAL-KILL COTTAGE HYDE PARK. DUTCHESS COUNTY NEW YORK May 31, 1952 , Dear Mr. President: I try not to bother you too often but I an very much troubled at the moment about the McCarren- Walters Bill. I realize that I can not possibly know much in detail about any legislation and this 1s a complex and technical subject. Hovever, I hear that this Bill yould generally restrict immigration and make it more difficult to than naturalization it now is. It for vould certain remove Asiatics the barriers and provide a small quota for a number of Asiatic countries which now do not have a quota. Of course, the removal of racial barriers is all to the good but I understand that this legisla- tion sets up a special classification for persons of Asiatic and Oriental ancestry and sets them completely apart from Europeans and others in a highly restricted category. I an told that it even defines a fifty percent blood test for persons of Asiatic ancestry no matter where born. The people of Asia are just at present over- sensitive an d very proud and I an afraid the enactment of such a bill with these provisions would be very unfortunate. I also think that the Russians would use it for plausible prop- aganda against us. Most of us would like to see exclusioniet bars go down but not in favor of new ones which would provide fresh evidence that we consider ourselves *superior" to the peoples of Asia. This legislation may be before you any day for signature and if on mature consideration you think it is really bad, I hope you will veto it, though I realize I can not be familiar with it from every point of view. I an only writing you what my general feeling has been. Very cordially yours, Eleana