Governor Lehman considered immigration to be one of the most important issues he handled during his political career. The son of an immigrant himself, Lehman worked to maintain the principle that the United States should welcome and embrace all faiths and nationalities. Though he did not believe in unlimited immigration, he held that limited immigration should be based on need rather than nationality.

The Lehman Collection has over 1000 items referring to the issue of immigration spanning from 1920 to 1963. Included in these files are drafts of the McCarran-Walter's Bill, the Displaced Persons Act, the Lehman Bill and many other proposals that were being considered during this time. In addition, the collection also holds many political cartoons that make reference to Lehman and his strong stance on immigration.

Special Subject Files 

Special Subject Files- Senate Position Papers 

Senate Subject Files- Immigration Act of 1953 

NY Office Files, 1951 

NY Office Files, 1952 

Memorabilia 

Senate Departmental Files 

Senate Legislation Files 

General Personal Correspondence- "American Immigration and Citizenship Council/ Conference" 1960-1963 

General Personal Correspondence- "Citizens Committee for Displaced Persons" 1949 

General Personal Correspondence - "Walter Proposal" 1959 

General Personal Correspondence- "Immigration Legislation" 1949 

General Personal Correspondence- "McCarran Bill" 1950 

General Personal Correspondence- "National Committee on Immigration and Citizenship" 1956- 1958 

William Welsh Files 

See also 

Related Topics

• Folder 38 - Statement of Lehman in support of H.R. 2910 before the Sub-Committee on Immigration and Naturalization (House of Representatives)
• Folders 39 and 40 - Jacob Judelsohn's scrapbook
• Folders 41-45 revision and replacement of McCarran-Walter Act and other documents about this Act
• Folder 46 - Palestinian Refugees (pamphlets)
• Folder 47 - Report of the Zellerbach Commission on the European Refugee Situation

• Folder #4 - Information on where Lehman stood with regards to immigration and:
  • McCarran Bill
  • Displaced Persons Bill
  • Mexican Labor
  • Lehman Immigration Bill
  • Refugee Relief Act of 1953

• Folders C204-48 to C204-59 drafts of the Act
• Folders C205-60 to C205-61 corrections and criticisms
• Folder C205-62 Edelstein working draft
• Folder C205-63 Problems
• Folders C205-64 to C205-65 related materials
• Folder C205-66 section by section analysis
• Folder C205-67 worksheets and suggestions
• Folders C209-1 to C209-22 Immigration Act

• Folder 156-146 contains correspondence relating to immigration

• Folder 157-239 contains correspondence relating to the Immigration Bill
  
• Folder 157-240 contains correspondence relating to Immigration cases

• Cartoons by Herb Block

• Drawers 46- 52: deportation cases, visa cases, citizenship cases

• Drawer 2: File C57-8 Immigration and State Department
• Drawer 20: Correspondence regarding revision of nationality laws and the Lehman Bill
  • Folders C76-1 to C76-9 covering dates April 1951- August 1953
• Drawer 24:
  • Folder C79-21 Citizens Committee on Immigration
  • Folder C79-22 Moses (Fritz) Immigration
  • Folder C79-23 Correspondence Feb.- Oct. 1956
  • Folder C79-24 Correspondence January 1956
  • Folder C79-25 Correspondence December 1955
  • Folder C79-26 Correspondence Sept.- Nov. 1955

• Drawer 1960 Cuban Refugee publications and correspondence to Lehman regarding the council
• Drawer 1961 contribution letters/ Memos/ Analysis of H.R. 6300
• Drawer 1962 fact sheet and other info on S. 3043 introduced March 21, 1962
• Drawer 1963 Thanks for contribution letter  

• Information on Lehman's stance regarding the liberalization of the Displaced Persons Act, Israel, and Civil Rights/ newspaper clippings and letters about Displaced Persons Act

• Correspondence to Lehman about the Walter's Plan/ NY Times clippings/description of the plan

• Correspondence referring to the legislation of that time (Displaced Persons Nationality Act) 

• Correspondence regarding the McCarran Bill after it had already been passed

• Drawer 1956 Hungarian refugee issue/ communism/ support for the Lehman Bill
• Drawer 1957 Support for amending the McCarran- Walter Act/ International Rescue Committee/ memo on the National Committee
• Drawer 1958 editorial written by Lehman sent to the Saturday Evening Post about his immigration proposal and his opposition to the McCarran- Walter Act/ memo on the National Committee 

• Drawer 369 # 17-34 (formerly drawer 361)
• Drawer 370 # 1-5 (formerly drawer 362) 

• Refugee Relief Act
  
• McCarran- Walter Bill
  
• Doblhoff Immigration Status
  
• Osborne Immigration Case
  
• Wong Children Immigration Case: Jack Carter Files C58-97
  
• Koblitz, Milton S. - Immigrational Education TV
  
• Displaced Persons
  
• Citizens Committee on Displaced Persons
  
• International Migration Service
  
• International Refugee Organization
  
• United Service for New Americans

• Immigration Bill
  • Lyndon B. Johnson Special File: 11/26/55, 8/4/56
• Immigration Legislation 
  • Special Subject Files
  • General Personal Correspondence, 1949
  • NYPL #26 - Research Materials
• Immigration and Naturalization Laws 
  • Eisenhower Special File: 8/13/53, 8/14/53, 8/16/53

Originally prepared by Michelle Sansivero, July 2001.