Memorandum from Roger Jones to David Lloyd

COPY EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT BUREAU OF THE BUDGET WASHINGTON 25, D. C. February 18, 1952 MEMORANDUM FOR MR. DAVID LLOYD Subject: The McCarran and Walter Omnibus Immigration and Naturalization Bills. S. 2550 (McCarran) and H. R. 5678 (Walter) are omnibus bills that would codify and make many changes in existing immigration and naturalization laws. They have been favorably reported by the Senate and House Judiciary Committees respectively. Chief merits of the McCarran bill are that it would remove racial barriers to naturalization, extend quotas to certain Asiatics for the first time, abolish discrimination based on sex, and facilitate the im- migration of persons whose services are "urgently needed'in the United States. Restrictive provisions of the bill based on political af- filiations may perhaps be considered an improvement over the similar provisions of the Internal Security Act in that their application would be limited to persons affiliated with parties and organizations which advocate the establishment of a Communist or other totalitarian dic- tatorship in the United States. Reformed members of such parties and organizations could be admitted to this country. On the other hand, the McCarran bill would actually introduce new forms of racial discrimination against the immigration of Asiatics and all colonial peoples. It would do nothing to make much-needed adjust- ments in the "national origins" quota system and would not even bring the system up to date (would retain 1920 census as basis for quotas). Some extremely vague and some abusive grounds for exclusion and deportation would be retroactively applicable, i.e., aliens could be de- ported for acts which were not grounds for deportation when committed. The President would be given sweeping discretionary authority to ex- clude any and all aliens. The Attorney General would be given broad authority to deport aliens, but his authority to suspend deportation would be unduly restricted. Unnecessary obstacles would be placed in the way of natuealization; denaturalization would perhaps be over- simplified in some cases. Organizationally, the bill violates sound principles of administration. s