The Alien Scientist and the War

T HE better utilization of five million aliens legally in this country, including scholars, scientists, and those with less specialized skills, is an important matter in view of the expanding needs of the Government and of war industries. Here we are primarily interested in the specialized personnel, but it is desirable to inquire into the general situation wherever it affects this smaller group. Any growing prejudice and internal suspicion, and increasing restrictions (not necessarily based on law), even in nonwar industries, would affect all aliens, or even citizens with heavy traces of foreign origin. However, a million and a quarter enemy aliens were not detained on December 8, 1941. The place of birth and technical noncitizenship alone provide no compelling criteria for judging loyalties in this conflict. Approximately 170,000 persons have come from Germany since 1933 and on immigration quotas of countries under Nazi domination. Half of the 24,000 German aliens on the west coast are refugees. The Department of State observed that there was a backlog of 200,000 people of the refugee type in unoccupied France and French Africa, some of whom could be of use in the war effort. But the specialists are an insignificant part of the total, and must take their turn. It might be added that government money can be used to hire aliens outside continental United States, perhaps for specialist services with our garrisons. The alien specialists frequently have no greater reason for a sense of frustration than the native specialists who feel that their talents have not been used fully by the Government. Sometimes the alien scholar seems better served by an employment agency than the nativeborn. Nearly every refugee agency has special committees caring for the specialists. It has also been suggested that while there are signs of xenophobia, there are other signs that the pressure to secure manpower will dispel the existing obstacles to the employment of aliens, especially those with special talents. Also there remains the opportunity for service in the armed forces, where liberal provisions have been made for speeding up the citizenship process. At the time of writing (June), there is some disposition to alter the procedures and rulings to overcome the existing difficulties. Various agencies of the Government have already been troubled by the present restrictions. It may be surmised that the trouble will increase

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