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New High Commissioner Leaves for Palestine; Commission to Be Announced Next Week

February 25, 1938
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Sir Harold Arthur MacMichael, former governor of Tanganyika Territory, left today for Palestine to succeed General Sir Arthur Grenfell Wauchope as High Commissioner. Appointment of Sir Harold as the fifth High Commissioner was announced last Dec. 3, effective at the end of February.

Meanwhile, it was learned from official sources that the composition of the “technical commission” which will go to Palestine to investigate the possibilities of formulating a concrete partition plan has been completed, and a public announcement will be made next week.

An editorial in The Times urged the Colonial Office to announce the personnel of the Palestine technical commission, declaring further delay is contributing to the uncertainty and anxiety of Palestinians. Uncertainty on the ultimate intentions of the Government was seen by the editorial as encouraging terrorism.

American Jews were pictured as pro-British although critical of the Government’s Palestine policy, by John Rhys Davies, Laborite, M.P., addressing the Anglo-Palestine Club. He declared American Jews were more interested than British Jews in Palestine and “first and foremost, they universally dislike partition.” He praised Jewish participation in trade unionism in America.

Thirty-one Jewish illegal immigrants were under detention in Palestine on Feb. 16, Colonial Secretary William Ormsby-Gore informed Col. Josiah Wedgwood, Labor member of Commons, in a written reply to a question. Fifteen of these were men, eight women and eight children, he said. On the same date, 21 Jews, all men, were under detention on suspicion of reprisals against Arabs.

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