AFTERNOON SESSION (The hearing was resumed at 2 p. m., at the expiration of the recess.) Chairman BLOOM. The committee will kindly come to order. The committee will resume hearings on House Resolution 418 and House Resolution 419. We have the great honor and privilege of having several of our colleagues here. Mr. Harry Sauthoff, of Wisconsin, wishes to say a few words. STATEMENT OF HON. HARRY SAUTHOFF, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF WISCONSIN Mr. SAUTHOFF. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I wanted to be recorded in favor of these resolutions, which I see are identical. Because there are many people here from out of the city and because I intend to take the floor on this subject, I shall not take any more of the time of the committee. Thank you very much for your courtesy. Chairman BLOOM. Thank you, Mr. Sauthoff. It is a great pleasure to have you here. If you wish to put a statement in the record, you may do so. Mr. SAUTHOFF. Thank you. STATEMENT OF HON. JAMES M. FITZPATRICK, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK Chairman ВLOOм. We will next hear from Mr. James M. Fitzpatrick of New York. Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am in sympathy with House Resolutions 418 and 419 introduced by Hon. James A. Wright and Hon. Ranulf Compton to establish a Jewish National Home in Palestine. I believe the British Government should, under all circumstances, grant this request. I hope that your committee will report these resolutions out favorably in order that justice will be extended to the Jewish people. Chairman BLOOM. Thank you, Mr. Fitzpatrick. STATEMENT OF HON. DANIEL ELLISON, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MARYLAND Chairman BLOOм. Mr. Ellison, the Committee would be pleased to hear from you. Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Chairman, I wish to be recorded in support of House Resolutions 418 and 419. The white paper issued by the Chamberlain government in 1939 was in direct violation of Great Britain's solemn pledges, and in contravention of the terms of the mandate. Moreover, from the humanitarian point of view favorable action. on these resolutions would be in line with our unbroken policy since the Balfour Declaration of favoring the establishment of Palestine as a Jewish national homeland. I, therefore, hope that your committee will report favorably on these resolutions. STATEMENT OF HON. HUGH D. SCOTT, JR., OF PENNSYLVANIA Chairman BLOOM. We will now hear from Mr. Hugh D. Scott, Jr., of Pennsylvania. Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Chairman, I wish to join with my many colleages in urging favorable action on the Wright and Compton resolutions asking for abrogation of the British white paper and the establishment of a Jewish national homeland in Palestine. The ruthless persecution of Jews in certain sections of Europe should bring home to all of us the urgency of establishing such a haven for the large numbers who have become homeless as a result of this persecution. Constant mortal danger still faces these people and I can think of no greater assistance that can be rendered them at this time than an open door to Palestine. This is a matter which I believe fully merits immediate and effective action. Chairman BLOOM. I wish to say to the committee that the Chair has received letters from several Representatives who are unable to be present, but who wish to place their views on record. Without objection, their letters will be placed in the record at this point. Hon. SOL BLOOM, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C., February 7, 1944. Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR COLLEAGUE: It is my understanding that House Resolutions 418 and 419, urging the abrogation by Great Britain of the so-called white paper, will come up for public hearings before the committee on Tuesday, February 8, 1944. I shall appreciate it if you will record me as favoring the passage of these resolutions in the printed hearings. Sincerely yours, FRED J. DOUGLAS. Hon. SOL BLOOM, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C., February 8, 1944. Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Committee, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR SOL: For many months, I have entertained the wish to see something done about the establishment of a Jewish national homeland in Palestine. I have also wondered why the British have failed thus far to abrogate the white paper in connection with this whole matter. In these days of strife and upheaval, it seems only logical and right that the persecuted Jews of Europe and elsewhere should be permitted to seek refuge and haven in at least one place which they may call home. In my opinion, House Resolutions 418 and 419 which call for the establishment of Palestine as a Jewish national homeland and urge the British to take this action, ought to be reported favorably out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee immediately. It is my hope that favorable action by the Congress will follow directly thereafter. I want you to know that I join with other Members of the House in expressing the hope that your committee will accomplish this as soon as possible. With kindest personal regards, I remain, Your colleague, EDWIN A. HALL, Hon. SOL BLOOM, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C., February 9, 1944. House Office Building, Washington, D. C. My DEAR COLLEAGUE: I am very much interested in and endorse the WrightCompton resolution now pending before the Foreign Relations Committee, and I hope that you will be able to report it out favorably in the near future. usual good wishes, Sincerely yours, With PHILIP J. PHILBIN. P. S.-This is but plain simple justice for a people already sorely overburdened with persecution, grief, and sorrow and I hope you will act. P. J. P. Hon. SOL BLOOM, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON PATENTS, Chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR COLLEAGUE: I want you to know that you have my full support of the Palestine Resolutions 418 and 419. Please let me know when, where, and how I can help on this. Sincerely yours, FRANK W. BOYKIN, Hon. SOL BLOOM, Chairman, Foreign Affairs, Committee, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C., February 8, 1944. House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR COLLEAGUE: I wish to advise you of my approval with reference to House Resolutions 418 and 419, which bills will receive my complete support. I will be thankful if you will kindly acknowledge receipt of this communication. Thanking you for your cooperation, I am Sincerely yours, WILLIAM T. BYRNE. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C., February 8, 1944. Hon. SOL BLOOM, Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Relations, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR COLLEAGUE: Two resolutions are now pending before your committee, House Resolutions 418 and 419. I know that you are thoroughly familiar with these resolutions and the purposes sought to be carried out through them. I, personally, believe that these resolutions should receive early attention from your committee and the active support of the United States Government. I believe that the United States Government has a direct interest in the manner in which the affairs of Palestine are conducted. I am sure that a majority of our people favor the removal of the restrictions recently placed by the British Government on immigration of Jewish people to Palestine. I feel that these restrictions should be removed and that the original purposes intended to be carried out at the time that Great Britain assumed the mandate over this area should be actively pursued. I have written to President Roosevelt and to other officials in the administration on this subject favoring such action. I hope your committee will consider these resolutions favorably in the near future. Very sincerely yours, CHARLES R. CLASON. Hon. SOL BLOOM, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C., February 8, 1944. Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, MY DEAR COLLEAGUE: Referring to House Resolution 418 and House Resolution 419, I am today in receipt of a telegram from the Honorable Earl Riley, mayor of the city of Portland, Oreg., urging passage of these two resolutions. am enclosing herewith a copy of his wire for your information and that of the committee. I have also received many telegrams and communications from other citizens in my district urging_passage of these resolutions and lifting the ban against immigration of the Jewish people into Palestine and redeeming the Balfour pledge. I believe this is the only humane and just course and I believe these resolutions should be adopted, and I hope that your committee will soon vote out favorably the resolutions so they may be brought up for consideration. Sincerely yours, HOMER D. ANGELL, Member of Congress. FEBRUARY 8, 1944. Hon. HOMER D. ANGELL, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.: I earnestly urge you to use your influence and support of House resolutions 418 and 419. It is essential in justice to thousands of human beings of the Jewish faith that the gates of Palestine remain open. We should, as freedom-loving citizens of America, reaffirm our pledge and support of the Balfour Declaration. Please make your position known as favoring the above with the House Foreign Affairs Committee. EARL RILEY, Mayor, City of Portland. STATEMENT OF W. C. LOWDERMILK, ASSISTANT CHIEF, SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, WASHINGTON, D. C. Chairman BLOOM. We will now hear from Dr. Lowdermilk, of the Department of Agriculture. Dr. LOWDERMILK. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I come not as representing any specific interest except possibly that of the land. Chairman BLOOM. Will you tell us a little about yourself, Doctor, so that the committee and those who read the record will have an idea Don't be bashful. who you are. Of course, I know who you are. Dr. LOWDERMILK. The way I have come to be interested in this problem is that the Appropriations Committee asked us, as we were presenting our claims for considerable moneys to control erosion in the United States, if we had examined lands of the old countries to see what they had been doing about this problem of soil erosion. Upon our saying that we had not done so yet, it was suggested that we do so. About 3 years later, the Department of Agriculture selected me to survey the use of land in the Old World, to see what we could learn for the benefit of our own farmers and our own stockmen, and for our country as a whole in our national program to save our soils from soil erosion. In 1938 and 1939 I made a survey of southern Europe, north Africa, and the Near East. In addition to 26,000 miles by car, I traveled 95149-44- -12 18,000 miles on the highways and byways of north Africa and the Near East. The findings of that survey have been reported and are to be reported more fully a little later. We found, from Oran in Algeria, to the borders of Persia, except in Egypt, a general condition of neglect and of wasted lands, underused lands, and misused lands. We found ruins of cities buried by the products of erosion, both by wind and by water. In the place of beautiful cities of the past, we found wretched villages of illiterate people of the present-an obvious decline, both in the prosperity and in the culture and in the number of people, from ancient times to the present. Let me cite a couple of examples. We spent some time at the ruins of Babylon, which was once the mistress of the ancient world, the center of culture and of political power, which is now a heap of salty desolation. Believe it or not, the only living thing I saw in the ruins of Babylon was a gray wolf shaking his head as if he might have had a tick in his ear, as he loped along to his lair, in the ruins of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, where air conditioning was used, in principle, 2,600 years ago. This was the center of a population estimated by archeologists at more than 30,000,000 of people. Now there are less than 4,000,000 of people in Iraq including ancient Mesopotamia. In Iraq the climate has not changed, soils are still there, and the two rivers run full of water. The principal problem in times past was the control of silt. We found silted-up canals all through the area, and recently when I flew to China I saw from the air those herringbone marks of silted-up canals. The problem of keeping the canals clean of silt was a tremendous one. Rulers of Babylon brought in war captives for this purpose; now we understand why the captive Jews sat down by the waters of Babylon and wept, because they were called in to clean the silt out of these canals. I also was present at the opening of the Kut Barrage, the guest of our American Minister and the guest of the King of Iraq, just a short time before he was accidentally killed. This barrage diverted waters of the Tigris out over an area in excess of 500,000 acres. It looked like a fine thing to do, and I asked the Minister of Agriculture of Iraq if they were going to do more of this. He said "We do not have farmers enough to make use of the lands that are now being irrigated." There are very few farmers in Iraq. It has one of the greatest possibilities of supporting people, of any portion of that part of the world, with modern irrigation structures built with reinforced concrete, and with power machinery to dig canals and keep them clear. It will be possible, according to Willcocks, the great British irrigation authority, to support 50,000,000 of people in Iraq. My computations on the basis of water now available, a somewhat lesser number may be sustained. But I think we can be sure that fully tenfold the people now living in Iraq can be supported in a state of civilization and prosperity in that area. Mr. Chairman, I am afraid I will take too much time. Chairman BLOOм. Go right ahead. The Chair promised to notify you, if you did. Dr. LOWDERMILK. Another area is that of the ancient forest of the Cedars of Lebanon. You will recall that Solomon made arrangements with the King of Tyre to furnish him timbers out of the great forest, to build the Temple at Jerusalem. I wanted to see what had happened. According to the record, there were 60,000 lumberjacks, not |