President Truman signed the Displaced Person’s Act in 1948, which permitted a certain number of people uprooted by the Nazi party and the Holocaust to become naturalized citizens. While he supported any activities and efforts to assist refugees, he also vehemently objected to certain sections of the law which discriminated against other displaced persons, specifically those in Eastern European countries such as Poland and Bulgaria.Those policies were eradicated in the summer of 1950 when Truman signed H.R. 4567.
In this speech to Congress, Truman asked the lawmakers to renew the act in order to assist those escaping the Soviet Union.
This document was identified by teachers in our Primarily Teaching 2017 Summer Workshop at the Truman Library.
