Truman Speech for the Conference of the National Jewish Welfare
Board (October 17, 1952) Excerpt from Speech: "Let's review some
history. When our Armed forces marched into defeated Nazi
Germany, revelations were made that shocked the whole civilized
world. The full scope of the Nazi tyranny revealed that not less
than 6 million Jews had been killed by the Nazi warlords. We
soon discovered that occupants of the displaced persons camps
did not wish to move out into the life of the country, although
living conditions in the camps were poor. I sent Earl G.
Harrison, former Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization,
to look over the camps and give me a report. He told me that the
vast majority of the Jewish displaced persons felt their future
would be secure only in Palestine. On Mr. Harrison's
recommendation, I asked the Government of Great Britain to make
available immediately 100,000 entry permits into Palestine. In
order to relate the proposed permits to the larger problem of
Jewish resettlement, the Ang