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3
3966-

Roosevelt Mss.

TO CHARLES PATRICK NEILL

Washington, June 28,

1906

To the Conrnissi"oner of Labor: I desire as full an investigation of the whole

subject of immigration as the facilities at hand will permit. I wish that you
would at once take the matter up with the Commissioner General of Immigration; that your two Bureaus co-operate along the lines I suggested at our
recent conference; and that you submit your reports to me as soon as is
practicable.
I want the investigation to be as thorough and as comprehensive as you
can make it, and I direct the closest co-operation between the twvo Bureaus
to this end. The Bureau of Immigration will, of course, have to carry on the
necessary investigations abroad alone through its special agents, but in the
study of conditions in this country the twvo Bureaus ought to be able to cooperate very closely and assist each other very materially. However, I want
you and Mr. Sargent to plan the whole investigation conjointly and to consult together constantly during its progress concerning all of its phases. In
a word, I want you to carry on a joint investigation of the whole subject of
immigration, to such extent as the resources of each Bureau will permit, and
to use such resources as your judgment may dictate.
Carefully avoid all unnecessary publicity in the carrying on of the
investigation. Please consider it a confidential investigation for my use, and
transmit your reports to me as soon as they are ready.'

1These

private, confidential reports to Roosevelt were never published. It is probable,

however, that

they

contained the same

recommendations

which, already made in the

annual reports of the Bureau of lImigration in I9oj and 1906, and repeated in 1907,
formed the basis for the immigration section of Roosevelt's annual message in1 1906.
See No. 3924.