IMPACT OF THE INTERNAL SECURITY ACT OF 1950
   (THE McCARRAN ACT) UPON THE CONDUCT OF
   UNITED STATES FOREIGN RELATIONS

Lot 53-D250: Executive Secretariat Files: Box 1646
Memorandumn by 31r. Jesse l. MacKnight I to the Department of
    State Policy Comnmittee on Immigration and Naturalization
SECRET                           [WASHINGTON,] November 22, 1950.

PIN D-2/26a
DR~rr DEPARTMENT POSITION ON THE INTERNAL SECURITY ACT OF 1950 2

  On October 20, 1950, a subcommittee of the Policy Committee on
Immigration and Naturalization (PIN) was appointed to 'analyze the
operation of the Act and make recommendations looking toward its
amendment or repeal. The subcommittee had representation from
P, H, CON, UNA and EUR (for all Regional bureau interests) and
was assisted by advisers from VD, L/EUR, and JEP.
  The subcommittee's functions were defined by the !Chairman of
PIN (Conrad E. Snow),as:
  1. The collecting of information on the actual working of the In-
ternal Security Act of 1950 and the practical effect of the law upon
our foreign relations.
  2. The drafting of 'a departmental position with respect to the Act
which can be used for discussion in top level meetings of the
Department.
  The subcommittee reached two conclusions after 'a preliminary
examination of the problem: first, that there was no reasonable basis
for concluding that Congress would repeal the Act and, therefore,

  I MacKnight was Special Assistant, Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Public
Affairs. At this time, he was serving as Chairman of the PIN subcommittee
described in the first paragraph of this memorandum.
  'Public Law 831, September 23, 1950, 64 Stat. 987. The statute was entitled
"An Act to protect the United 'States against certain un-American and
sub-
versive activities by requiring registration of Communist organizations.
....I'
It consisted of two parts: Title I-Subversive Activities Control and Title
II-
Emergency Detention and was enacted into law over a presidential veto. The
provisions of the bill which were of particular interest and concern to the
Department of State were contained in Section 22 of Title I (64 Stat. 1006)
and in the legislative history of the Act. The views of the DepaTtment on
these
provisions and their presumed impact upon the foreign relations of the United
States are incorporated into Senate Minority Report 2369, Part 2.
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