Abba P. Schwartz
Encyclopedia
Abba Philip Schwartz was United States
Assistant Secretary of State for Security and Consular Affairs from 1962 to 1966.
on April 17, 1916. He was educated at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
at Georgetown University
, receiving a B.S. in Foreign Service in 1936. He then attended Harvard Law School
, receiving an LL.B. in 1939.
After law school, Schwartz established a law practice in Washington, D.C.
In the wake of the U.S. entry into World War II
, in 1942 he enlisted in the United States Merchant Marines Cadet Corps. As part of the merchant marine, he participated in operations ferrying supplies to the Soviet Union
at Murmansk
. In 1944, he became a lieutenant
in the United States Navy
. He was discharged from the Navy in 1946.
Schwartz then took a job with the Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees in London
. In 1947, he joined the United Nations
International Refugee Organization
in Geneva
, serving as reparations
director.
In 1949, Schwartz returned to the private practice of law in Washington, D.C. From 1949 to 1962, he was also special legal counsel for the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration. During the 1950s, he became a close political associate of Sen.
John F. Kennedy
(D
—MA) and his brother Robert F. Kennedy
. He also became a trusted adviser of Eleanor Roosevelt
.
When John F. Kennedy became President of the United States
, he named Schwartz Assistant Secretary of State for Security and Consular Affairs in 1962; after Senate confirmation, Schwartz held this office from October 5, 1962 until March 6, 1966. During his time as Assistant Secretary, Schwartz encouraged Robert F. Kennedy (now United States Attorney General
) to exercise the discretion granted to the Attorney General by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to allow East European refugees and visitors to come to the United States
even if they held suspect political views that would otherwise disqualify them. He also negotiated a deal with Cuba
that allowed thousands of Cubans to come to the United States as refugees. Schwartz resigned from office abruptly in 1966, amid rumors that he had been hounded out of the United States Department of State
by conservatives who disliked his liberal approach to admission of foreign nationals to the U.S.
After leaving the State Department, Schwartz returned to the private practice of law again. In 1967, United States Secretary of Defense
Robert McNamara
named Schwartz his special assistant for prisoners of war in Vietnam
. As such, during the Vietnam War
, he promoted programs to help refugees in South Vietnam
and to repatriate prisoners taken by the Vietcong and North Vietnamese. Schwartz authored a book, entitled The Open Society, that was published by William Morrow and Company
in 1968. In it, he argued for more liberal U.S. immigration policies.
Schwartz died of a heart attack on September 13, 1989.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Assistant Secretary of State for Security and Consular Affairs from 1962 to 1966.
Biography
Abba P. Schwartz was born in BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
on April 17, 1916. He was educated at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service is a school within Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., United States. Jesuit priest Edmund A...
at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, receiving a B.S. in Foreign Service in 1936. He then attended Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, receiving an LL.B. in 1939.
After law school, Schwartz established a law practice in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
In the wake of the U.S. entry into World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in 1942 he enlisted in the United States Merchant Marines Cadet Corps. As part of the merchant marine, he participated in operations ferrying supplies to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
at Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
. In 1944, he became a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. He was discharged from the Navy in 1946.
Schwartz then took a job with the Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In 1947, he joined the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
International Refugee Organization
International Refugee Organization
The International Refugee Organization was founded on April 20, 1946 to deal with the massive refugee problem created by World War II. A Preparatory Commission began operations fourteen months previously. It was a United Nations specialized agency and took over many of the functions of the earlier...
in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, serving as reparations
War reparations
War reparations are payments intended to cover damage or injury during a war. Generally, the term war reparations refers to money or goods changing hands, rather than such property transfers as the annexation of land.- History :...
director.
In 1949, Schwartz returned to the private practice of law in Washington, D.C. From 1949 to 1962, he was also special legal counsel for the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration. During the 1950s, he became a close political associate of Sen.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
(D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
—MA) and his brother Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
. He also became a trusted adviser of Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
.
When John F. Kennedy became President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, he named Schwartz Assistant Secretary of State for Security and Consular Affairs in 1962; after Senate confirmation, Schwartz held this office from October 5, 1962 until March 6, 1966. During his time as Assistant Secretary, Schwartz encouraged Robert F. Kennedy (now United States Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
) to exercise the discretion granted to the Attorney General by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to allow East European refugees and visitors to come to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
even if they held suspect political views that would otherwise disqualify them. He also negotiated a deal with Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
that allowed thousands of Cubans to come to the United States as refugees. Schwartz resigned from office abruptly in 1966, amid rumors that he had been hounded out of the United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
by conservatives who disliked his liberal approach to admission of foreign nationals to the U.S.
After leaving the State Department, Schwartz returned to the private practice of law again. In 1967, United States Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
Robert McNamara
Robert McNamara
Robert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968, during which time he played a large role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War...
named Schwartz his special assistant for prisoners of war in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. As such, during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, he promoted programs to help refugees in South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
and to repatriate prisoners taken by the Vietcong and North Vietnamese. Schwartz authored a book, entitled The Open Society, that was published by William Morrow and Company
William Morrow and Company
William Morrow and Company is an American publishing company founded by William Morrow in 1926. The company was acquired by Scott Foresman in 1967, and sold to Hearst Corporation in 1981. It was sold along to the News Corporation in 1999...
in 1968. In it, he argued for more liberal U.S. immigration policies.
Schwartz died of a heart attack on September 13, 1989.