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\ CHAT WITH
Simon Sobeloff
By BEINESH EPSTEIN
Judge Simon E. Sobeloff, the U.
s Solicitor General, recently
- merged as one of the top American
t.desman on the Jewish scene. His
dement concerning Israel made
d the Weizmann dinner in New
York on December 2nd caught
worldwide attention. The fact that
Secretary of State John F. Dulles
chose him to make his pronounce
ment assuring Israel of continued
American friendship is a tribute ot
Judge Sobeloff personally and to
his position of leadership in Jew
ish life. It also indicates the es
teem which the Administration has
for Jewish opinion in this country.
I therefore, sought an interview
with the Judge to discuss with him
matters of interest to the readers of
this newspaper. ,
The Solicitor General of the
United States is a very busy man.
But being an affable and warm
ja rsonality, an intellectual who
likes to discourse on and analyze
events and problems we spent some
time in very pleasant conversation.
Weighty matters of State were left
m abeyance to be worked on likely
<i iring the late hours. Our talk
covered a wide range of political
problems international as well as
domestic.
The statement which the Judge
r ade at the Weizmann dinner con
tinues to be a popular topic for
Jewish columnists and speakers.
Appraising this, I asked him what
tangibles can be expected from the
general policy which he outlined
in behalf of the Administration in
wgard to Israel. His answer was
thoughtful and forthright. He said:
The first result I expect is a
(learing of the atmosphere around
'he whole problem. There was too
much emotionalism and unwarrant
ed suspicion engendered in the dis-
cussion of the Ameriean-Israel re
lations. There is a need for mutual
confidence and respect. Israelis
and their friends here should now
realize that President Eisenhower
,n d Secretary Dulles are sincerely
nterested in the security of Israel
nd in establishing peace between
er and the Arab countries. There
ay be differences as to the poli
ces to be pursued in the overall
ndling of the Middle East. But
' ie minds of the Administration
■aders is not closed towards Is-
■el and her precarious situation.
I also expect that, as a result of
e policy which I have been au-
orized to pronounce, the constant
aluation of our efforts in the
ar East will make realistic con-
le Southern Israelite
tributions toward strengthening our
friendship with Israel and the sta
bility of the entire region, which is
the real aim of our policy there.”
From the Israel question, we
went on to another problem which
agitates Jewish society now — the
revision of the McCarran - Walter
Immigration Law. Judge Sobeloff
was emphatic that this law will be
revised. He stated:
'I am convinced that departures
in our immigration laws from the
traditional role of America as a
haven for the oppressed will, be
fore too long, be corrected, as the
President has urged.”
Why did not the President press
the 83rd Congress to enact these
changes? Well, people on the out
side can afford to be impatient. Not
so the men charged with responsi
bility. For them, there are a mul
titude of knotty problems which
they have to untangle. The ques
tion is when and how. What comes
first? Above all, let us bear in
mind that the President needs a
majority in Congress to change a
law, and this was very problemat
ical concerning the McCarran-Wal-
ter Act. Senator Ives, Senator Sal-
tonstall, Congressman Javits, Con
gressman Scott, Congressman Cre-
tella, and other Republican Sen
ators and Representatives, have
made an effort to change the law,
but they failed, notwithstanding the
fact that it was clear that the
President willed it. However, the
Solicitor General is certain that
President Eisenhower will make a
determined effort to have Congress
revise the McCarran - Walter law
as soon as he will find it propi
tious.
The McCarran law is closely
linked with the general problem of
civil rights. On last September
16th, in a speech before the Na
tional Conference of Citizenship,
Mr. Sobeloff, touching on the re
striction in the immigration law,
remarked:
"These things, too, have a bear
ing on the climate of freedom.”
So we were naturally steering
into discussion of the civil rights
problem and its handling by the
administration. Judge Sobeloff is
convinced that, nothwithstanding
obvious differences, an outgrowth
of the abnormal times in which
the world has been thrown, we are
making progress in the field of ci
vil rights and liberties. He is full
of praise for the Attorney General,
Herbert Brownell, Jr., and his work
to safeguard the right of the indi
vidual.
‘‘Mr. Brownell,” he stated, ‘‘ha?
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