Bars on the Golden Door: Post World War II Security Screenings and their Administration

Abstract

At the end of World War II, there were millions of individuals in Europe known as displaced persons who, for a variety of reasons, needed aid and assistance to begin new lives. Debates soon began in the United States over potentially allowing displaced persons to resettle into the country. National security played an important part in the discussion because of Nazi war criminals or subversive communists possibly taking advantage of any effort and also coming in under a program. Congress passed the Displaced Persons Act in 1948 authorizing resettlement, but demanded security screenings to protect the country against subversives. Amidst escalating Cold War tensions, in 1950 Congress passed the Amended Displaced Persons Act and the Internal Security Act to bring more displaced persons into the country under stricter security screenings. The Displaced Persons Commission, the Department of State, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service administered the Displaced Persons Program from 1948 to 1952. Their administration of security screenings and coordination under increasingly restrictive security screening requirements influenced the eventual outcome of the Displaced Persons Program.