Turning the pages back...

April 30, 1957

Forty years ago, on Tuesday, April 30, 1957, the ship Gen. W.C.W. Langfitt tied up at Pier 86 at 46th Street of New York City, bringing 1,042 post-war refugees to the United States. What was significant about this particular transport was that it carried the last group to enter this country under the provisions of the Refugee Relief Act of 1953.

A front-page story in The Ukrainian Weekly reported the following.

"Among [the group of 1,042 refugees] were 40 Ukrainians brought here under the auspices of the United Ukrainian American Relief Committee, the president of which is Dr. Walter Gallan of Philadelphia, where the UUARC headquarters are located. Dr. Gallan is a member of the Supreme Auditing Committee of the Ukrainian National Association.

"The Ukrainian refugees were greeted and expedited to their various destinations in this country by Dr. Gallan and veteran UUARC volunteer workers: Anna Kurylo, Katherine Peleshok, Mrs. Swidersky, Dr. Simon Demydchuk, and Messrs. Uditch and Yaremchuk.

"Thirty-nine of the newly arrived Ukrainians were from West Germany, and one was from Austria. Their destination points were Detroit, Chicago, Rochester and Buffalo, N.Y., Philadelphia and Chester, Pa., and Newark, N.J.

"The Refugee Relief Act of 1953 authorized the admission of 209,000 persons, but the number actually admitted, including those who arrived last Tuesday, was 190,327. Most were persons who escaped or were expelled from Communist-dominated countries in Eastern Europe.

"Robert S. McCollum, State Department administrator for escapees and migration affairs, said that the 18,673 visas that went unused had been among the 55,000 allotted to persons of German origin. Applications for these visas fell off because of the booming economy in West Germany."

Source: "Last 40 Ukrainian refugees arrive here under 1953 law," The Ukrainian Weekly, May 4, 1957.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, April 27, 1997, No. 17, Vol. LXV

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