April 22, 1949
Senator Langer called the Secretary this morning and indicated he had been approached by Henry Wallace with regard to the visa application of Pierre Cot. Senator Langer said that he wondered why the Department had declined to issue this visa.
The Secretary replied that the Department had carefully considered this matter from a legal standpoint and was simply complying with the provisions of the law. The Secretary said that the law (he believed the Immigration Act of 1924, as amended) was explicit on the admission of Communists to the United States and left no discretion to the Department when the best evidence clearly indicated Communist affiliation on the part of any visa applicant.
The Secretary mentioned the other cases in which Henry Wallace had been interested recently and pointed out that the Department had granted visas to three of the five in which Mr. Wallace had been interested. He indicated that those which had been declined were applications in which the parties were clearly, from the best evidence available, either Communists or Communist affiliates.
Senator Langer expressed surprise that there was one other applicant, Mr. Zilliacus of the UK, which had been turned down. He appeared satisfied at the Secretary's explanation of the problem.
The Secretary indicated that the Department was consulting the Attorney General, as prescribed by law, on the two cases in which visas had not been granted.
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