Letter from John Alden and Viola P. Buckler to Senator Richard B. Russell
DESCRIPTION
Letter from John Alden and Viola P. Buckler to Senator Richard B. Russell, arguing in favor of a proposed bill allowing Indian nationals to immigrate to the US and become naturalized citizens. They point to their own friends, Mr. and Mrs. Baboo Ram Teree, as examples of upstanding and successful Indians living in the US.
THEMES
Citizenship & Voting
ADDITIONAL METADATA
Date: May 15, 1945
Subject(s): Richard B. Russell
Type: Correspondence
Language: English
Creator: John Alden Buckler, Viola P. Buckler
Location: 842 Vernon Road, Bexley, Ohio
TRANSCRIPTION
842 Vernon Rd,
Bexley 9, Ohio
May 15, 1945
Senator Richard B. Russell,
Chairman,
Senate Committee On Immigration,
Washington, D.C.
My dear Senator Russell,
In a telegram to you today we, as citizens of the United States, recommended the passage of Bill S. 505 by Senator Arthur Capper of Kansas and Bill S. 331 by Senator Joseph H. Ball of Minnesota which are now pending before you committee and which call for naturalization for nationals of India and a quota for India. We urged that you do everything in your power to insure the early adoption of these bills for reasons to be set forth in this letter.
It has been our good fortune to have as close friends as Mr. and Mrs Baboo ram Teree of Kenmore, N.Y. and thru them have come to appreciate the importance of these bills to a large group of the people of India who have settled in this country and have become good citizens although they are not recognized as such. Mr. Teree is a graduate of the University of Michigan, is married to a citizen of the United States, has one son 13 years old and owns his own home. He is at present Assistant Chief of Structures in the Curtiss Wright Research Laboratories in Buffalo, N.Y. and to the writers personal knowledge has contributed much to the war effort both from a production and personal standpoint. He has literally thousands of acquaintances all over the United States a great many of whom are proud to call him their friend.
We are sure that Mr. Teree is but one of many fine people who, because they were born in India, have been denied citizenship in the country of their choice despite their ability to qualify for the honor in every other way.
Despite the undoubted right of a state to deny admission of a foreigner to its territory under international law, we feel that the exercise of this right in a blanket manner against any group of people tends to foster hostile feelings and further ore is a direct contradiction of the statement in our own Declaration of Independence that all men are created free and equal. We feel that it is no longer possible to segregate ourselves from the rest of the world in anyway without sowing the seeds for future wars. In our opinion the time has come when we must stand by the implication of the Declaration of Independence and admit all people regardless of race to the protection of our Constitution who will swear to uphold it and who can pass the necessary requirements. It is of course granted that the number admitted in a given time must be limited to allow our society time to assimilate the newcomers.
For the above reasons we ask that your committee give favorable consideration to the aforementioned bills and that you personally do everything in your power to insure their passage at this time.
Respectfully yours,
John Alden Buckler
John Alden Buckler
Viola P. Buckler
Viola P. Buckler
Bexley 9, Ohio
May 15, 1945
Senator Richard B. Russell,
Chairman,
Senate Committee On Immigration,
Washington, D.C.
My dear Senator Russell,
In a telegram to you today we, as citizens of the United States, recommended the passage of Bill S. 505 by Senator Arthur Capper of Kansas and Bill S. 331 by Senator Joseph H. Ball of Minnesota which are now pending before you committee and which call for naturalization for nationals of India and a quota for India. We urged that you do everything in your power to insure the early adoption of these bills for reasons to be set forth in this letter.
It has been our good fortune to have as close friends as Mr. and Mrs Baboo ram Teree of Kenmore, N.Y. and thru them have come to appreciate the importance of these bills to a large group of the people of India who have settled in this country and have become good citizens although they are not recognized as such. Mr. Teree is a graduate of the University of Michigan, is married to a citizen of the United States, has one son 13 years old and owns his own home. He is at present Assistant Chief of Structures in the Curtiss Wright Research Laboratories in Buffalo, N.Y. and to the writers personal knowledge has contributed much to the war effort both from a production and personal standpoint. He has literally thousands of acquaintances all over the United States a great many of whom are proud to call him their friend.
We are sure that Mr. Teree is but one of many fine people who, because they were born in India, have been denied citizenship in the country of their choice despite their ability to qualify for the honor in every other way.
Despite the undoubted right of a state to deny admission of a foreigner to its territory under international law, we feel that the exercise of this right in a blanket manner against any group of people tends to foster hostile feelings and further ore is a direct contradiction of the statement in our own Declaration of Independence that all men are created free and equal. We feel that it is no longer possible to segregate ourselves from the rest of the world in anyway without sowing the seeds for future wars. In our opinion the time has come when we must stand by the implication of the Declaration of Independence and admit all people regardless of race to the protection of our Constitution who will swear to uphold it and who can pass the necessary requirements. It is of course granted that the number admitted in a given time must be limited to allow our society time to assimilate the newcomers.
For the above reasons we ask that your committee give favorable consideration to the aforementioned bills and that you personally do everything in your power to insure their passage at this time.
Respectfully yours,
John Alden Buckler
John Alden Buckler
Viola P. Buckler
Viola P. Buckler
PROVENANCE
Holding Institution: National Archives Building, Washington, D.C.
Collection: U.S. Senate Committee on Immigration Bill Files
Folder: S.331, Committee on Immigration, SEN 79A-E1, Box 28
Digitizer: Anu Kasarabada
Item History: 2015-04-29 (created); 2022-12-23 (modified)
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