Committee of Ten (active 1934)

Women of prominence from every part of the country, led by a committee of ten headed by Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, in a petition made public March 1934, requested President Franklin D. Roosevelt to give assurance that restrictive rules be administered by consular officers abroad with utmost consideration in the cases of political, racial and religious refugees.

Aimed primarily for the relief of German refugees, the message to the Chief Executive states that since July the total number of those admitted from Germany, including all races and creeds, has not yet reached 600. It is contended in the letter that a more liberal admission would not result in the refugees becoming public charges, as friends and relatives are ready to render assistance and prevent further aggravation of America’s unemployment problem.