State Department Memo on Temporarily Halting Immigration
6/26/1940
Add to Favorites:
Add all page(s) of this document to activity:
Add only page 1 to activity:
Add only page 2 to activity:
Add only page 3 to activity:
Add only page 4 to activity:
Add only page 5 to activity:
Add only page 6 to activity:
Assistant Secretary of State Breckinridge Long sent this memo to Assistant Secretary of State Adolf Berle and Director of the Office of European Affairs James Clement Dunn. It shows Long's anti-immigration policy during the Holocaust.
Long provides possible responses to an enclosed a memo from Avra M. Warren, chief of the State Department Visa Division, in which Warren states that "there is no authority of law to suspend the immigration quota for Germany."
Long suggests prohibiting the issuance of visas other than with State Department approval (transfering visa decisions from the U.S. consuls in Europe to the State Department), and temporarily stopping immigration by putting administrative obstacles in the way.
Long provides possible responses to an enclosed a memo from Avra M. Warren, chief of the State Department Visa Division, in which Warren states that "there is no authority of law to suspend the immigration quota for Germany."
Long suggests prohibiting the issuance of visas other than with State Department approval (transfering visa decisions from the U.S. consuls in Europe to the State Department), and temporarily stopping immigration by putting administrative obstacles in the way.
Transcript
[top left corner, red stamp]Assistant Secretary of State
Jun 27 1940
Mr. Long
[top right corner, red stamp]
Advisor on Political Relations
Mr. Dunn
Jun 27 1940
Department of State
[letterhead]
Department of State
Assistant Secretary
A-L
June 26, 1940.
A-B - Mr. Berle [red checkmark, in red: I agree. AB]
PA/D - Mr. Dunn [in blue: I think the 2 steps mentioned in the summary would be taken. JD]
Attached is a memorandum from Mr. Warren. I discussed the matter with him on the basis of this memorandum. There are two possibilities and I will discuss each category briefly.
Non-immigrants
Their entry into the United States can be made to depend upon prior authorization by the Department. This would mean that the consuls would be divested of discretion and that all requests for nonimmigrant visas (temporary visitor and transit visas) be passed upon here. It is quite feasible and can be done instantly. It will permit the Department to effectively control the immigration of persons in this category and private instructions can be given the Visa Division as to nationalities which should not be admitted as well as to individuals who are to be excluded.
This must be done for universal application and could not be done as regards Germany, for instance, or Russia, for instance, or any other one government because it would first, invite retaliation and second, would
probably be a violation of some of our treaty arrangements. The retaliation clause is [^material] in connection with Germany because it could mean the closing of our offices in almost all of Europe.
Immigrants
We can delay and effectively stop for a temporary period of indefinite length the number of immigrants [^coming] into the United States. We could do this by simply advising our consuls, to put every obstacle in the way and to require additional evidence and to resort to various administrative devices which would postpone and postpone and postpone the granting of the visas. However, this could only be temporary. In order to make it more definite It would have to be done by suspension of the rules under the law by the issuance of a proclamation of emergency--which I take it we are not yet ready to proclaim.
Summing Up
We can effectively control non-immigrants by prohibiting the issuance of visas unless the consent of the Department to obtained in advance for universal application.
We can temporarily prevent the number of immigrants from certain localities such as Cuba, Mexico and other places of origin of German intending immigrants by simply raising administrative obstacles. The
The Department will be prepared to take these two steps immediately upon the decision but emphasis must be placed on the fact that discrimination must not be practiced and with the additional thought that in case a suspension of the regulations should be proclaimed under the need of an emergency, it would be universally applicable and would affect refugees from England.
The Canadian situation and travel across that border we can handle through an exception to the general rule and so advise our consuls in Canada.
Department of State
Visa Division
Memorandum
[top right corner, red stamp]
Adviser on Political Relations
Mr. Dunn
Jun 27 1940
Department of State
[stamp]
Visa Division
Jul 5 1940
Department of State
[stamp]
Assistant Secretary of State
Jun 26 1940
Mr. Long
June 26, 1940
To: A-L - Mr. Long
PA/D - Mr. Dunn
From: VD - Mr. Warren
Under existing instructions, no diplomatic visa or passport visa may be granted to members of the armed forces of a country engaged in the European War without prior authorization from the Department. In the case of civilian officials of a country engaged in the European War, a request, either written or oral, must be received from the Foreign Office of the government concerned or, in the absence of such a request, the Department's authorization must be obtained before a diplomatic visa or a passport visa as a foreign government official may be issued. In addition, the visa applications of all journalists, including newspaper representatives, freelance reporters, and writers must be referred to the Department for consideration. Persons coming to the United States temporarily must show a reasonable need or a
a legitimate purpose. In the case of immigrants, the grounds for refusing a visa are defined in the Immigration Act of 1924 and in that of February 5, 1917.
There is no authority of law to suspend the immigration quota for Germany or any other country. Such a suspension would require specific legislation and the desirability of denying the entry into the United States of German nationals, either as immigrants or as nonimmigrants, must be considered in light of possible retaliation which, under present conditions, might extend across all Europe.
As an administrative measure, the advance authorization of the Department could be required before granting a visa to a German national either as an immigrant or as a nonimmigrant. In most instances, however, the information available in the Department would not be adequate on which to base a satisfactory decision. As a precautionary measure our consular officers could require current police certificates for all German nationals but such a requirement would not disclose the activities of a person whose entry into the United States the German authorities might desire to facilitate. A suspension of immigration quotas would
would provide an effective means of reducing the channels of entry into the United States. An indefinite suspension would require legislation but a suspension for two months is possible by administrative means but would be discriminatory if it did not apply to all quotas, including the British. Following such a suspension our officers abroad would be more free to examine the applications of nonimmigrants with the care which present conditions justify.
[initials]
Immigrants
We can delay and effectively stop for a temporary period of indefinite length the number of immigrants [^coming] into the United States. We could do this by simply advising our consuls, to put every obstacle in the way and to require additional evidence and to resort to various administrative devices which would postpone and postpone and postpone the granting of the visas. However, this could only be temporary. In order to make it more definite It would have to be done by suspension of the rules under the law by the issuance of a proclamation of emergency--which I take it we are not yet ready to proclaim.
Summing Up
We can effectively control non-immigrants by prohibiting the issuance of visas unless the consent of the Department to obtained in advance for universal application.
We can temporarily prevent the number of immigrants from certain localities such as Cuba, Mexico and other places of origin of German intending immigrants by simply raising administrative obstacles. The
The Department will be prepared to take these two steps immediately upon the decision but emphasis must be placed on the fact that discrimination must not be practiced and with the additional thought that in case a suspension of the regulations should be proclaimed under the need of an emergency, it would be universally applicable and would affect refugees from England.
The Canadian situation and travel across that border we can handle through an exception to the general rule and so advise our consuls in Canada.
Department of State
Visa Division
Memorandum
[top right corner, red stamp]
Adviser on Political Relations
Mr. Dunn
Jun 27 1940
Department of State
[stamp]
Visa Division
Jul 5 1940
Department of State
[stamp]
Assistant Secretary of State
Jun 26 1940
Mr. Long
June 26, 1940
To: A-L - Mr. Long
PA/D - Mr. Dunn
From: VD - Mr. Warren
Under existing instructions, no diplomatic visa or passport visa may be granted to members of the armed forces of a country engaged in the European War without prior authorization from the Department. In the case of civilian officials of a country engaged in the European War, a request, either written or oral, must be received from the Foreign Office of the government concerned or, in the absence of such a request, the Department's authorization must be obtained before a diplomatic visa or a passport visa as a foreign government official may be issued. In addition, the visa applications of all journalists, including newspaper representatives, freelance reporters, and writers must be referred to the Department for consideration. Persons coming to the United States temporarily must show a reasonable need or a
a legitimate purpose. In the case of immigrants, the grounds for refusing a visa are defined in the Immigration Act of 1924 and in that of February 5, 1917.
There is no authority of law to suspend the immigration quota for Germany or any other country. Such a suspension would require specific legislation and the desirability of denying the entry into the United States of German nationals, either as immigrants or as nonimmigrants, must be considered in light of possible retaliation which, under present conditions, might extend across all Europe.
As an administrative measure, the advance authorization of the Department could be required before granting a visa to a German national either as an immigrant or as a nonimmigrant. In most instances, however, the information available in the Department would not be adequate on which to base a satisfactory decision. As a precautionary measure our consular officers could require current police certificates for all German nationals but such a requirement would not disclose the activities of a person whose entry into the United States the German authorities might desire to facilitate. A suspension of immigration quotas would
would provide an effective means of reducing the channels of entry into the United States. An indefinite suspension would require legislation but a suspension for two months is possible by administrative means but would be discriminatory if it did not apply to all quotas, including the British. Following such a suspension our officers abroad would be more free to examine the applications of nonimmigrants with the care which present conditions justify.
[initials]
This primary source comes from the General Records of the Department of State.
Full Citation: Memo from Assistant Secretary of State to State Department Officials on Temporarily Halting Immigration into the United States; 6/26/1940; General Visa Correspondence, 1914 - 1949; General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/memo-temporary-halt-immigration, May 21, 2025]Activities that use this document
- U.S. Policy and the Holocaust Refugee Crisis
Created by the National Archives Education Team
Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
