can take part in any discussion between nations on the problems of emigration and immigration.

It is thus apparent that your efforts in the Conference will be confined to discussion of the technical matters presented, to observing the trend of the Conference, and to safeguarding and reaffirming the position of the United States on immigration on such occasions as may be appropriate. It is equally clear that you should refrain from voting on any of the resolutions presented to the Conference for approval without the specific authorization of this Government. While in the vast majority of cases it will be obvious that a vote by this Government would be inappropriate, nevertheless it is possible that certain resolutions may be put forward on which it may seem desirable to put this Government on record: such as, for example, a proposal for the convening of a Third International Conference on Emigration and Immigration. In such cases the delegation should ask this Government for instructions, by cable through the Department of State.

For your further information and guidance there are attached:"

(1). A collection of documents illustrative of the historical and diplomatic background of the Conference and of American immigration policy in general;

(2). An annotated copy of the agenda of the Habana Conference indicating the special considerations attaching to the discussion of the various questions by the American delegates.

I need not remind you of the importance which this Government attaches to the manner in which you carry out the mission with which you are now entrusted, involving as it does the authoritative and effective presentation in an international gathering of one of the most important of the national policies of the United States. It is my confident hope that you will be able to carry this mission to a successful conclusion.

I am [etc.]

555.H2/155

FRANK B. KELLOGG

The Cuban Chargé (Altunaga) to the Secretary of State

WASHINGTON, August 24, 1928. EXCELLENCY: I have the honour to send Your Excellency herewith three copies of the Final Act of the Second International Conference on Immigration and Emigration held in Havana, March-April, 1928,67 one of the copies duly certified by the Under Secretary of State of Cuba.

Enclosures not printed.

For text, see Acta Final de la Segunda Conferencia Internacional de Emigracion e Inmigracion, la Habana, 31 de Marzo-17 de Abril de 1928 (Habana, 1928).

I beg to transmit these documents to Your Excellency with the request that Your Government, if desirous of so doing, give adherence to the resolution approved by the Conference regarding the desire to hold the next Conference on Immigration and Emigration in Madrid, the organization of which will be in charge of the Board of Directors of the Conference, according to paragraphs 1 and 2 of Resolution number 1 taken at the Plenary session in April 17th (pages 62-63 French text of the Final Act).

I avail myself [etc.]

RAFAU RODRIGUEZ ALTUNAGA

555.H2/157

The American Delegation to the Secretary of State

WASHINGTON, August 25, 1928. SIR: The undersigned appointed by the President as Delegates of the United States of America to the Second International Conference on Emigration and Immigration held at Habana from March 31 to April 17, 1928, inclusive, have the honor to submit the following report:

At the closing session of the First International Conference on Emigration and Immigration, held in Rome in May, 1924, a resolution was adopted calling for a Second International Conference on Emigration and Immigration, to be held in an immigration country and charging the Committee of Control of the Rome Conference with the work of preparation for such a conference, to which it should present a general report on the effect given by different governments to the resolutions voted by the Conference of Rome. The Committee of Control, which consisted of the President and the eight Vice Presidents of the Rome Conference, was to sit at Rome under the Presidency of Signor De Michelis, President of the Rome Conference, and Italian Commissioner General of Emigration.

On July 9, 1927, the Committee of Control adopted the following resolution regarding the holding of the Second International Conference on Emigration and Immigration:

"The Committee entrusted with the preliminary work of the IInd international emigration and immigration Conference, in accordance with the resolution of the Rome Conference,

"Whereas its resolution of 10th of December appointed the city of Havana to be the see for the IInd Conference,

"Having considered the message of the Cuban Government suggesting that the Conference convene during the month of March. 1928,

"Having read the list of questions proposed by the several Governments, to be included in the agenda of the Havana Conference:

"1) Resolves to fix the agenda for the IInd international emigration and immigration Conference as it appears in annex A.

"2) Entrusts its President to request the Cuban Government to kindly send invitations to the Governments interested in the IInd international emigration and immigration Conference and to fix the opening date of the same.

"3) Also entrusts its President with the mission to kindly ask the Cuban Government to extend the courtesy of an invitation to the great international Organizations so as to enable them to be represented in the Conference of Havana, in a consultive character."

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On July 18, 1927, the Cuban Embassy in Washington addressed a note to the Department, inviting this Government to participate in the Second International Conference on Emigration and Immigration, which was to open in Habana, March 31, 1928, and shortly afterward it supplied the Department with the agenda of the Conference (see annex).69

Several conferences were held between the appropriate officers of the Department of State, the Department of Labor and the United States Public Health Service, at which the questions of policy involved in American participation in such a conference were thoroughly discussed and weighed. It was the feeling of the Conference that participation was advisable, and on January 12, 1928, the Secretary of State addressed a letter to the President recommending American participation in the following terms:

"The Cuban Government, through its Embassy in Washington, extended an invitation on July 18, 1927, to this Government to participate in the Second International Emigration and Immigration Conference, which will be held at Habana commencing March 31, 1928. On August 20, 1927, the Secretary of State sent a note to the Cuban Embassy requesting that the thanks of the United States Government for the invitation be conveyed to the Cuban Government and that the Cuban Government be informed that this Government would be glad to consider the invitation when it had had an opportunity to examine the agenda of the conference.

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68

"After copies of the agenda had been received, communications were addressed to the Secretaries of the Treasury and Labor on December 17, 1927, apprising them of the receipt of the invitation under discussion and transmitting copies of the agenda with the suggestion that a conference be held between representatives of the Department of State, the Department of Labor, and the United States Public Health Service for the purpose of discussing the question of participation in the conference to be held in Habana.

"On December 29 representatives of the three Departments met at the State Department and after due deliberation reached the conclusion that it would be advisable for the United States to send a delegation to the Habana conference because of the following considerations: First, the United States appears to be in some degree committed to such participation not only by reason of the fact that it was formally represented in the previous conference on the same

Not printed.

The annexes to this report are not printed.

subject held in Rome in 1924, but more especially in view of the fact that the chairman of the American delegation at that conference cast his vote in favor of the convening of a second conference, i. e., that to be held at Habana in March. Second, the conference is to be held in a Latin American country, and will be largely attended by delegates from the Latin American nations whose immigration problems are similar to those of this country, as was evidenced by their attitude at the recent meeting of the Interparliamentary Commercial Conference held at Rio de Janeiro in September of last year.

"While the opinion of the conferees that the United States should accept the invitation was based chiefly on the considerations set forth in the foregoing paragraph, they did not lose sight of the advantage to this country in having the traditional position of the United States, that immigration is strictly a domestic matter, reaffirmed at this conference. Should delegates be appointed, they will accordingly be instructed to make clear this Government's position on immigration and to take no action inconsistent with the attitude and prerogatives of the Congress of the United States in this connection.

"This matter has been submitted to the Director of the Bureau of the Budget who advises that it is not in conflict with the President's financial program.

"I believe, therefore, that attendance at this conference will be in the public interest, and have the honor to recommend that, as an act of international courtesy and as a means of reaffirming the historic policy of this country on immigration and of cooperating with American countries with similar immigration problems, the Congress be requested to appropriate funds to cover the expense of sending a delegation to the Second International Emigration and Immigration Conference. It is not believed an amount in excess of $5,000 will be necessary for this purpose.

"It is my further recommendation that the delegation from the United States consist of a representative of the Department of Labor, a representative of the United States Public Health Service, a representative of this Department, and a consular officer who has had extensive experience in immigration matters."

On January 13 the President sent the Secretary of State's letter to Congress with a message requesting legislation appropriating $5,000 for the expenses of an American delegation to the Habana Conference. An appropriate resolution was subsequently introduced in the House of Representatives and was favorably reported on by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. However, when it appeared that the volume of business for Congress was so great as to make it unlikely that definite action could be taken on the resolution before the opening of the Conference on March 31, 1928, the Secretary of State, deeming that participation in the Habana Conference was sufficiently important from the viewpoint of American foreign policy to justify making other provision for the expenses of the participation in the event that Congress should fail to make the appropriation which had been requested on March 20, informed the Cuban Embassy of this Govern

ment's acceptance of its invitation of July 18, 1927, in the following terms:

"I have the honor to refer to your note of July 18, 1927, inviting this Government to participate in the Second International Conference on Emigration and Immigration which will open in Habana on

March 31.

"I take pleasure in informing you that the United States will be glad to send delegates although you will readily understand that the immigration policy of this country as established by Acts of the Congress will obviously impose certain restrictions upon the American delegates. However, with due regard to such limitations this Government will be happy to attend the Habana Conference and to participate so far as practicable in a discussion of the technical matters presented.

"The names of the American delegates will be communicated to you in the course of the next few days. In the meantime I trust that you will notify your Government of this Government's acceptance of its courteous invitation."

On March 22, the Secretary of State addressed a letter to the President" recommending the appointment of delegates and submitting a draft instruction for the President's approval." These instructions emphasized the importance of upholding the American view that control of immigration is purely a domestic question and that the authority of Congress in immigration matters is exclusive. The instructions further stated that the delegates attending the Conference at Habana would be expected to reaffirm the policy of this Government that immigration is a matter of purely domestic concern in the manner in which it was stated at the Sixth Pan American Conference in Habana; to take a helpful and appropriate part in the discussions of various technical questions before the Conference with a view to informing the Conference of the forms in which these questions have presented themselves to the United States, the methods of this Government in dealing with them, the aims and policies of the Government regarding them, and the legislative and administrative machinery which it has established to carry them out; to observe the trend of the Conference and to take no action committing this Government and to refrain from voting on any of the resolutions presented for approval without the specific authorization of this Department.

On March 24 the President's approval having been signified, the American delegates to the Second International Conference on Emigration and Immigration were announced as follows, and appropriate travel instructions were issued:

The Honorable W. W. Husband, Assistant Secretary of Labor,
Chairman;