The Czechoslovakian Chamber of Commerce yesterday described as an error the crediting to the Czechoslovakian Embassy in Washington of the statement made recently that in the matter of patents and tariffs, New York lawyers should not be employed as the majority of them are Jews and certain Washington authorities are unfriendly to them.
The Chamber of Commerce now states that its report was based on private information received from America and on a private communication sent by the Washington Embassy to the Foreign Ministry.
That section of the report dealing with the employment of Jewish lawyers was circulated exclusively on the basis of private information received by the Chamber.
The explanation made by the Chamber is seen as an attempt to whitewash the Washington Embassy and is received with scepticism in Jewish circles.
The Jews however are now directing their indignation against the Chamber which has a large Jewish membership.
It is pointed out that the references to private information are questionable inasmuch as there are discrepancies between this explanation and the explanations offered by the Foreign Office and the Washington Embassy.
The Foreign Office confirmed the report that the Washington Embassy was the source of the information, while it regretted the publication.
The Washington Embassy in turn denied that it had sent any memorandum to the Chamber of Commerce, but acknowledged that a list of attorneys had been drawn up by it.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
