Letter from Tracy S. Voorhees to President John F. Kennedy Regarding Cuban Refugees, January 28, 1961

Refugees

Cuban Americans

Refugees--Government policy

Refugees--Services for

Refugees--Employment

Photocopy of a letter from Tracy S. Voorhees to President John F. Kennedy thanking the President for selecting him as his personal representative to monitor efforts to aid Cuban refugees following the Cuban Revolution. Voorhees praises the President's approach to the refugee situation and describes his strategy for aiding Secretary Abraham Ribicoff of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Voorhees, Tracy Stebbins, 1890-1974

State Archives of Florida, Series S756

1961-01-28

letters (correspondence)

eng-US

Text

s756_b044_f08_12

Postwar Florida (1945-1968)

Miami (Fla.)

Miami-Dade County (Fla.)

/fmp/governor-records/thumbnails/s756_b044_f08_12.jpg

s756_b044_f08_12_01

s756_b044_f08_12_02

United States. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare

Ribicoff, Abraham Alexander, 1910-1998

Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963

COPY Tracy S. Voorhees 1025 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Washington 6, D.C. January 28, 1961 Dear Mr. President: May I first express my deep appreciation of your gracious letter to me. Also, I have seen your letter to Secretary Ribicoff. It is a great satisfaction to me to know that you have taken such a prompt and vigorous step to assure that the work for Cuban refugees which I initiated for President Eisenhower will be carried forward with full effectiveness on a longer range basis than I could properly do under my very temporary assignment. I am deeply gratified by your statement in the letter to Secretary Ribicoff that: “I want you to make concrete my concern and sympathy for those who have been forced from their homes in Cuba and to assure them that we shall seek expedite their voluntary return as soon as conditions facilitate that*****. “Both here at home and abroad, I want to remphasize most strongly the tradition of the United State as a humanitarian sanctuary, and the many times it has extended its hand and material help to those who are ‘exiles for conscience’s sake’. In the presently troubled world we can not be a peacemaker if we are not also the protector of those individuals as well as nations who cast with us their personal liberties and hopes for the future.” “Immediate action should be taken to assure no interruption in present services for the refugees.” This inspiring position taken by the President of the United States will go far forward giving confidence both to the refugees themselves and to the religious and voluntary agencies which are dedicated to help them. The assurance of your continuing interest to assist these people to return to Cuba later if conditions permit will also be of great help in the difficult resettlement problem ahead.

COPY - Page Two In your letter to me you state: “I know you will give your full personal cooperation to Secretary Ribicoff to help him undertake these new responsibilities.” This I shall of course do fully and enthusiastically. This will include turning over toSecretary Ribicoff the results of a new study of the use of U.S. food surpluses which I ordered immediately following your directives, broadening the use of these surplus foods and adding important new food items to the program. Also, I shall give Secretary Ribicoff a full report on the various steps already underway through several channels to make good use of the many fine doctors among the refugees, including especially the refresher course now being given at the University of Miami for 258 of these physicians to enable them to qualify to carry on their profession here. The transfer of responsibility for these refugees to Secretary Ribicoff will also -- if Secretary Ribicoff so desires -- make it possible for me to initiate an effective private fund raising effort for refugee relief with corporate and other charitable sources. This, I hope will help to make effective the wise statement in your letter to Secretary Ribicoff that you are anxious that he make use of private services available for the refugees to the greatest extent possible. Such an effort to raise substantial funds is badly needed, but I had not felt it appropriate to undertake this while serving as the personal representative of the President. Again my sincere thanks for your prompt and stimulating action in this cause. Faithfully yours, Tracy S. Voorhees The President The White House Washington, D.C.