Joseph McCarthy in Fifties America Immigration

[Frederick Lacey]

I expect quite a few of you were caught up in the McCarthy era in the states in the fifties, this article in
the Daily Mail yesterday brought back a few memories as I got caught up in it a couple of times in New York,
had to be careful what you said when asked some out of this world questions by U.S. Immigration Officers.
I've still got my Crewman's Landing Permit, Issued on behalf of Port Line, c/o Funch Edye's, New York.

QUESTION. Why were maritime workers targeted by Joseph McCarthy in Fifties America?
Answered by Ken ******* of St Helens, Merseyside.

Further to earlier answers, I was in the Merchant Navy in the Fifties on the Cunard cruise ship "Silvania"
When we sailed into New York, the McCarthy witch-hunt hangover was still on and we were questioned before
we got shore passes.
Immigration asked us all sorts of daft questions; "Have you ever been a Communist,?' 'Do you know anyone who
supported the reds?'
One Scouser chirped up 'I support the Reds', meaning Liverpool FC, Immigration didn't like that , and it took him
a while to get his pass.
The best was another Scouser who was really fed up. They asked him whether he was a Communist, had he been
this, did he know that?. They finally asked him whether there was any insanity in the family. 'Yes', he replied.
The officers asked 'Who?' 'My sister,' he said, 'she married a Yank'.


Just realised my weight on the Pass is 140lbs, it's now 145lbs, wow only 5lbs in over 60years, I must be doing something right. !!!!


Fred.
R525985

[Captain Kong]

I remember those days, when I was on the old FRANCONIA in 1956.
One of our Firemen said something the Immigration did not like and he was banned from going ashore.
I remember coming back to the ship after several beers in the Market Diner at Pier 91, and the Security Guard demanded to see my Shore Pass, being slightly bevied, I made a stupid statement like, "Give my regards to Mr McCarthy", The Guard gave me a thump in the face, and called me some kinds Wise Guy.
I always treated them with respect after that, it hurt.
Cheers
Brian.

[John Gill]

Night cook on the Sylvania, just docked pier 92 and first ashore to uptown NY to collect a tv for the weekly stay in the Big City.All the good rental sets went first, so i ordered and paid for one to be collected later and off to enjoy the sights of the City. (mainly the three-for- a bob movies on 42nd st). Later, on my return in a 'yellow' with my tv set I was asked to report to the pursers office. There i was met by two men in suits and button down shirts who promptly put me under arrest and escorted me downtown to Bowling Green, which was the fbi headquqrters and was charged with entering the us of a illegally.I'd gone ashore without the usual immigration checks as i'd finished work before they boarded at the Ambrose Light and forgot to muster along with the rest of the night compliment. I was interrogated at some length and managed to convince them i was not about to overthrow the current government and was eventually released with a warning that any further violation i would end up in Leavenworth.They had me on record of visiting their country a dozen times and yet still considered me an 'alien' and a threat to their security. My card was certainly marked as with each subsequent visit I was checked and double checked before i was allowed ashore. Over the top -or what?

[robpage]

That sounds like a story , that was I was just walking along the street with this TV Set !!!!

[Ivan Cloherty]

Aged 17 when I got my 'Aliens' landing Card, also during the McArthur period, took nearly an hour to issue the card to me, why? because my name was 'Ivan' what a bunch of paranoid cretans they were! and what a lot of stupid questions, a 17 year old Limey was about to overthrow the U.S.Govt, I sure could pay a lot of subversives out of my £6 per month wages, that's if I could have got a sub!. Still got my 'Aliens' card may come in useful if we are invaded from Outer Space

[rigger]

Does anyone remember the short arm inspection in New York ..?

[j.sabourn]

Just reading some of these replies and it brings it all back to mind. Politics of whatever persuasion like religion is what causes all the problems in our present day society, so is probably why people make both subjects not acceptable for discussion. In a true Democracy it wouldnt matter if you were a communist, or whatever religion you belonged to. Now however its ugly head is always there plain for all to see. In many cases it is the pot calling the kettle black. For a country to pride itself on being a land of the free and then prosecute those of different political leanings beggars belief. Religion as far as I am concerned, if a religion makes a claim to be its ambition to exterminate another people of different leanings, then that religion should be barred by other countries. Why is this not done, because we have spineless politicians more worried about their own position in society. For other countrys to lecture Russia on its behaviour whilst those same countries are performing exactly the same acts under the pretence of Democracy also beggars belief. The so called Trade embargos imposed on Russia for committing so called crimes, which are continuously being committed by others who are not accountable leaves me scratching my head. The Russian people are not a people with no minds, and the only thing that is being accomplished is a lasting distrust the Russian people are going to have of the West and its morals. You once again come in to the lack of knowledge displayed by the Foreign Embassys in various countries around the world, these are purely career positions and bear little resemblance of what these people should be doing and that is to get opinions from the bottom strata of these peoople and not the dressed up so called ruling class of the nation. The present embargos imposed are going to have the adverse effect than what these dimwits we call politicians is going to have, it is going to unite the Russian people in a much more patriotic nation than it was before, as contrary to what you have heard on the propoganda grapevine, the Russian people are able to adjust, and more able to do so than the weaker morally and self indulgent west. The people who are going to get the worse of the argument are those who imposed the sanctions in the first place. JS

---------- Post added at 02:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:00 AM ----------

#2... If what happened to you Brian and am sure it happened to many others, if same had and probably did in Russia the Media at the time would have picked up and been good propoganda against the oppressive so called regime at the time. One can take what they will from press releases, however thankfully people nowadays have more access to the real truth and not made up truths by various political partys. Cheers JS

[Peter F Chard]

I was the second engineer on a China Navigation Co. ship in Guam to load scrap steel for Japan, circa 1962. There were four Europeans on board only, the rest being Chinese. On arrival there we had to muster the crew for a face to face with the Immigration -- I had to indentify each of the engine room hands to the jerk handling our shore passes and say what their job was on board. The immigration guy asked just one question --'' Are you or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party " After two or three of the crew had been interviewed I intervened and said to the Immigration guy'' Excuse me but all the crew are former soldiers with Chang Hai Chek's ( excuse the spelling ) army and fought the commies and are very upset at your line of questioning ! Jesus he said, I did not know that and rubber stamped all the passes. We pretty much had the run of the place after that, even the Air Force base where the B52 bombers were lined up, loaded with atomic bombs ready for take off ! There was nothing to stop us climbing on board except for a German Shepherd in each bomb bay !! Regards Peter in NZ.

[j.sabourn]

Ref. to #7... And Embassies... A lot of us know as in a previous post how a lot of us were approached by a certain government Department who would then and now I should imagine refuse to acknowledge, wanting certain information of certain areas. Which only points to the fact of the lack of knowledge they knew about the people and general knowledge of the Embassys that they manned. This goes way back to a post of over a year ago when the statement was made that any first trip deck boy had as much if not more than some of the knowledge of embassy officials. JS

---------- Post added at 05:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:28 AM ----------

As Churchill once said, " You can fool some of the people all of the time, but not all of the people all of the time ", or something similar, a very wise and outspoken patriotic English man ( even though his mother was American), some of his policies may have not gone down too well with the generations since then, but he was probably the nearest thing you will ever get to an honest politician. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

Somehow I think if such systems were in use today there would not be so many illegals in the country. It has just been evealed here that as many as 60% of visas and work permits are fogeries. Maybe if border protection had a few more balls it would be harder for thisto occur.