Memorandum Submitted on Behalf of the United States Committee for the Care of European Children, Inc., in Regard to the Continued Use of the Corporate Affidavit by the Committee

MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED ON BEHALF OF THE UNITED STATES COMMITTEE FOR THE CARE OF EUROPEAN CHILDREN, INC. IN REGARD TO THE CONTINUED USE OF THE CORPORATE AFFIDAVIT BY THE COMMITTEE. Following our conversation of last week, I am sending you this memorandum of the problem facing the United States Committee for the Care of European Children, Inc. The reason for bringing this to your attention at this time is that the Immigration service is now awaiting the con- currence of the State Department in terminating certain immigration procedures under which the Committee has been acting. If such termination should be ordered, the future effectiveness of the Committee will be impaired. Since representatives of the State Department sat in at the creation of the Committee and the Department is now asked for its concurrence in restricting the Committee's activities, I am placing the situation before you with some reference to the background. 1. The reason for the incorporation of the United States Committee: The Committee was incorporated in July 1940 for the purpose of evacuating European children to America. Under the law then and now in existence (8 U.S.C.A. Sec. 136 (m) alien children under sixteen years of age unaccompanied by or not coming to their parents are excluded "except that any such children may in the dis- cretion of the Attorney General be admitted if in his opinion they are not likely to become a public charge and are otherwise eligible". Under the law the regulations then in effect made difficult the bringing in of children who were not coming to near relatives. Even where there were such relatives, it was not always easy for the individuals to give the assurances of the care or support necessary to satisfy the requirements of the Immigration service. To cut through the delays and obstacles and make effective the prompt evacuation of children from the danger zones, whether or not they were going to near relatives, the device was worked out whereby proceedings could be expedited through the use of assurances given by the United States Committee. 2. Method of operation by the Committee - Committee assurances; On July 13, 1940 a joint order was issued by NOV 26 1945