(c) crown copyright
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( T H I S D O C U M E N T IS T H E P R O P E R T Y O F H E R B R I T A N N I C M A J E S T Y ' S
GOVERNMENT)
SECRET
C O P Yf H O .
C.(54) 354
ZZnd N o v e m b e r ,
1954
CABINET
COLONIAL, IMMIGRANTS
M e m o r a n d u m b y t h e S e c r e t a r y of S t a t e f o r t h e H o m e D e p a r t m e n t and M i n i s t e r for W e l s h A f f a i r s On IOth M a r c h t h e C a b i n e t c o n s i d e r e d a m e m o r a n d u m b y
m y p r e d e c e s s o r (C. (54) 94) a b o u t t h e i m m i g r a t i o n of B r i t i s h s u b j e c t s f r o m
Colonial t e r r i t o r i e s , and invited the Home S e c r e t a r y , the Commonwealth
S e c r e t a r y a n d the C o l o n i a l S e c r e t a r y to c o n s i d e r f u r t h e r w h e t h e r , in a d d i t i o n
to a power to deport such people who b e c a m e c r i m i n a l s or dependent on
p u b l i c f u n d s , p o w e r s h o u l d b e t a k e n t o c o n t r o l t h e e n t r y of B r i t i s h s u b j e c t s
i n t o t h i s c o u n t r y ( C . C . (54) 1 7 t h C o n c l u s i o n s , M i n u t e 6 ) .
The L o r d P r e s i d e n t
of t h e C o u n c i l w a s j o i n e d i n t h e d e l i b e r a t i o n s a n d a W o r k i n g P a r t y of o f f i c i a l s
s e t u p t o e x a m i n e t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i v e a s p e c t s of t h e p r o b l e m .
We h a v e n o w
c o n s i d e r e d t h e w h o l e q u e s t i o n i n t h e l i g h t of t h e i r r e p o r t .
2.
I n t h e m e a n t i m e , t h e p o s i t i o n h a s a l t e r e d , i n t h a t t h e f l o w of
i m m i g r a n t s , mainly f r o m the West Indies, has g r e a t l y i n c r e a s e d .
It i s
expected that about 10,000 people will come h e r e f r o m the West Indies this
y e a r w i t h t h e i n t e n t i o n of r e m a i n i n g p e r m a n e n t l y , c o m p a r e d w i t h a n e s t i m a t e d
f i g u r e of 2,ZOO f o r l a s t y e a r .
Colonial G o v e r n m e n t s c a n n o t be e x p e c t e d to
c o n t r o l t h i s flow a n d n o l i m i t t o t h e n u m b e r s l i k e l y to c o m e h e r e , in p a r t i c u l a r
f r o m J a m a i c a , is in sight.
A t the p r e s e n t r a t e i m m i g r a t i o n f r o m the
West
I n d i e s a l o n e w o u l d in t h r e e o r f o u r y e a r s r a i s e the c o l o u r e d p o p u l a t i o n t o a
t o t a l of s o m e t h i n g l i k e 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 , a n d a s t h e l a w s t a n d s t h e r e i s n o m e a n s of
p u t t i n g a n y l i m i t o n t h e n u m b e r of C o m m o n w e a l t h c i t i z e n s f r o m o v e r s e a s w h o
m a y choose to settle h e r e .
T h e f l o w of i m m i g r a n t s t o t h i s c o u n t r y m a y w e l l
i n c r e a s e r e g u l a r l y o v e r t h e n e x t f e w m o n t h s in m u c h t h e w a y i n w h i c h i l l e g a l
J e w i s h i m m i g r a t i o n to P a l e s t i n e s p e e d e d up o n c e it b e c a m e k n o w n by t h e
f o r e i g n o w n e r s of i n d i f f e r e n t s h i p p i n g t h a t t h e r e w a s a n e a s y m e a n s of e a r n i n g
a l o t of m o n e y q u i c k l y .
3.
T h e o n l y e f f e c t i v e m e t h o d of r e s t r i c t i n g t h i s i m m i g r a t i o n i s
t o i m p o s e a f o r m of c o n t r o l o n t h e e n t r y of B r i t i s h s u b j e c t s i n t o t h e U n i t e d
K i n g d o m , and t h e i r e m p l o y m e n t h e r e , s i m i l a r to t h a t i m p o s e d on a l i e n s ,
i n c l u d i n g w i d e p o w e r s of d e p o r t a t i o n .
T h e r e w o u l d of c o u r s e b e n o q u e s t i o n
of i n t e r f e r i n g w i t h t h e r i g h t of p e r s o x i s b e l o n g i n g t o t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m t o
c o m e a n d go a s t h e y p l e a s e d , n o r w o u l d i t be n e c e s s a r y o r d e s i r a b l e to e x t e n d
t h e c o n t r o l t o c i t i z e n s of t h e I r i s h R e p u b l i c .
Conditional upon this, the control
would h a v e to be a p p l i e d to a l l B r i t i s h s u b j e c t s a l i k e , though it would be m a d e
t o o p e r a t e w i t h t h e m i n i m u m of i n c o n v e n i e n c e t o C o m m o n w e a l t h c i t i z e n s .
The n e c e s s a r y legislation would however undoubtedly be c r i t i c i s e d both b y
t h o s e w h o d i s l i k e d t h e i n t e r f e r e n c e w i t h t h e t r a d i t i o n a l f r e e d o m of B r i t i s h
subjects to c o m e to the Mother Country at will and by those who would allege
t h a t t h e i n s t i t u t i o n of a c o n t r o l h a d b e e n i n s p i r e d b y r a c i a l p r e j u d i c e .
On the
other hand, it would s e e m f r o m the i n c r e a s e d public d i s c u s s i o n that the e x t e n t
of t h e p r e s e n t i m m i g r a t i o n i s c a u s i n g m a n y t o r e v i s e t h e i r o p i n i o n s a n d t o
f a v o u r s o m e f o r m of c o n t r o l .
\2 4.
A p o w e r l i m i t e d t o t h e d e p o r a t i o n of B r i t i s h s u b j e c t s w h o
t u r n e d out for one r e a s o n or a n o t h e r to be u n d e s i r a b l e additions to our
population would be open to fewer o b j e c t i o n s , but it would not be free f r o m
c o n t r o v e r s y a n d i t w o u l d b e w h o l l y i n e f f e c t i v e a s a m e a n s of c o n t r o l l i n g t h e
f l o w of i m m i g r a t i o n .
5,
R a v i n g r e g a r d to the i n c r e a s i n g public i n t e r e s t , I have b e e n
led to think t h a t it would now b e a p p r o p r i a t e to appoint a D e p a r t m e n t a l
C o m m i t t e e which would m a k e it p o s s i b l e to p r e s e n t a b a l a n c e d s t a t e m e n t on
it b e f o r e p r o p o s a l s f o r l e g i s l a t i o n a r e s u b m i t t e d to P a r l i a m e n t .
In
a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e c o n c l u s i o n s of t h e C a b i n e t , t h e P r i m e M i n i s t e r s a i d i n
t h e H o u s e of C o m m o n s o n 1 8 t h M a r c h , t h a t h e w a s n o t c o n v i n c e d t h a t a
C o m m i t t e e to c o n s i d e r the p r o b l e m would s e r v e a useful p u r p o s e at t h a t t i m e .
A s shown in p a r a g r a p h 2 a b o v e , h o w e v e r , c i r c u m s t a n c e s have changed since
the Cabinet c a m e to that conclusion.
T h e r e h a v e b e e n a n u m b e r of Q u e s t i o n s
i n t h e H o u s e of C o m m o n s s u g g e s t i n g t h e s e t t i n g u p of a C o m m i t t e e t o e n q u i r e
i n t o t h e p o s i t i o n of c o l o u r e d p e o p l e i n G r e a t B r i t a i n .
M r . J . B , Hynd r a i s e d
the g e n e r a l s u b j e c t on the a d j o u r n m e n t on 5th N o v e m b e r , and e n d e d his s p e e c h
b y a s k i n g t h a t , if t h e G o v e r n m e n t h a d n o t p o s i t i v e p l a n s i n m i n d t o d e a l w i t h
a l l t h e i m p l i c a t i o n s of t h e s i t u a t i o n , t h e y s h o u l d a g r e e t o t h e s e t t i n g u p of a
p u b l i c i n q u i r y ; a n d t h e M i n i s t e r of S t a t e f o r C o l o n i a l A f f a i r s i n r e p l y s a i d
that the suggestion was being considered.
Ke w a s p r e s s e d by Sir E d w a r d Keeling
to give an a s s u r a n c e before the C h r i s t m a s a d j o u r n m e n t that the C o m m i t t e e
would be s e t u p .
6.
I n v i e w of t h e u r g e n c y of t h e p r o b l e m , i t w o u l d b e n e c e s s a r y
t h a t a n y C o m m i t t e e s h o u l d be c o n s t i t u t e d a s q u i c k l y a s p o s s i b l e a n d t h a t it
s h o u l d be a s k e d t o s u b m i t a n e a r l y r e p o r t a n d I s e e n o r e a s o n w h y a n y l e n g t h y
inquiry should be n e c e s s a r y .
7.
I have consulted the L o r d P r e s i d e n t , the Commonwealth
S e c r e t a r y , t h e C o l o n i a l S e c r e t a r y a n d t h e M i n i s t e r of L a b o u r a n d N a t i o n a l
S e r v i c e and I p r o p o s e that a D e p a r t m e n t a l C o m m i t t e e should be appointed with
t h e f o l l o w i n g t e r m s of r e f e r e n c e : T o c o n s i d e r a n d r e p o r t w h e t h e r a n y , a n d if s o ,
w h a t changes in the law r e l a t i n g to the a d m i s s i o n t o ,
a n d s t a y i n t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m of a n y c l a s s of B r i t i s h
s u b j e c t s a r e n e c e s s a r y o r d e s i r a b l e in the n a t i o n a l
i n t e r e s t a n d i n t h e i n t e r e s t of t h e i m m i g r a n t s t h e m s e l v e s .
8.
I s e e k a u t h o r i t y to m a k e a n e a r l y a n n o u n c e m e n t t o t h i s
e f f e c t i n t h e H o u s e of C o m m o n s .
It w i l l b e n e c e s s a r y t o l e t t h e C o m m o n w e a l t h
c o u n t r i e s k n o w w h a t w e p r o p o s e a n d t h e r e a s o n s f o r it b e f o r e a n y f o r m a l
announcement is m a d e .
M o r e o v e r , s i n c e t h i s i s n o t a m a t t e r of P a r t y p o l i t i c s
b u t i s o n e of n a t i o n a l c o n c e r n w h i c h w i l l h a v e t o b e t a c k l e d s o o n b y w h i c h e v e r
P a r t y i s i n p o w e r , I t h i n k i t w o u l d b e a g o o d t h i n g if t h e P r i m e M i n i s t e r c o u l d
s e e t h e L e a d e r of t h e O p p o s i t i o n a n d l e t h i m k n o w w h a t i s p r o p o s e d b e f o r e
any a n n o u n c e m e n t is m a d e .
G.LL"G.
Home Office, S . W . 1 .
20th N o v e m b e r , 1954.