Members of the United States delegation to the United Nations Conference on International Organization said today that the U. S. delegates will insist that the rights of the Jews in Palestine under the present mandate be safeguarded if, and when, Palestine is placed under a “trusteeship” system.
At the same time, they indicated that League of Nations mandates, such as Palestine, will be the first dealt with after the war is over, and that the present holders of mandates will be consulted before any change in the mandated area’s status is effected.
The American delegation, it was learned authoritatively, is pressing for the rights of the inhabitants in any territory placed under trusteeship to submit petitions to the trusteeship council and is also asking that provision be made for investigation by the new world organization of any complaints by such inhabitents. It was stressed, however, that only moral force could be used to compel the trustee to carry out its obligations under the trusteeship.
Members of the Mandates Commission of the League of Nations are being consulted, meanwhile, by the American delegates with regard to provisions of the League’s mandate system which might profitably be applied to the new system that will be set up.
LABOR MEMBERS OF MANY DELEGATIONS PLEDGE SUPPORT OF JEWISH RIGHTS
Labor members of the delegations from various countries attending the UNCIO tonight pledged themselves to support a thirteen-point program submitted by the Jewish labor Committee and presented to the UNCIO Secretariate by Adolph Held, chairman and Joseph Baskin, secretary.
The program, which demands adoption by the UNCIO of decisions assuring the rapid reconstruction of Jewish life in devastated Europe and the outlawing of and-Semitism, as well as unrestricted Jewish immigration to Palestine, was made public at a dinner tendered tonight at the Mark Hopkins Hotel to labor members of the various delegations.
Among those attending were delegates from Britain, Canada, Australia, Norway, China and other countries, also William Green of the A. F. L. and United States government officials including Daniel Tracy, Assistant Secretary of Labor and Otis Mulliken head of the labor division of the State Department.
Addressing the dinner, Mr. Held reviewed the position of the Jews created by the war and read a summary of the memorandum submitted by him to the UNCIO, copies of which were sent to Secretary of State Stettinius and to the A. F. L. and CIO consultants to the United States delegation. He also announced that the Jewish Labor Committee representatives have supported the request of the American Jewish Conference that the UNCIO make it clear that no action of the conference would tend to prejudice the existing rights of Jews in respect to Palestine or to immigrate into Palestine.
AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE’S ROLE IN SECURING HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OUTLINED
The role played by the American Jewish Committee consultants here in leading the fight for the establishment of a Commission on Human Rights by the conference was revealed at a press conference yesterday addressed by Jacob Blaustein and Jadge Joseph E. Proskauer.
Pointing out the importance of the fact that the four sponsoring powers of the conference jointly introduced an amendment to the Dumbarton Oaks proposals requesting the General Assembly “to assist in the realization of human rights and basic freedoms for all without distinction as to race, language, religion or sex” and to implement this by creating a Commission on Human Rights, Mr. Blaustein said: “The importance of these additions for the future welfare of the Jews of the world cannot be overemphasized. They take a long step forward toward the realization of our objective.”
Mr. Blaustein disclosed that “at one stage of the conference, last week, is developed that there was a grave question as to whether ourown United States delegation would sponsor such a measure. A group of interested consultants was then called together and a short brief was prepared and signed by the majerity of the consultants and presented to Secretary Stettinius with the urgent plea that the United States sponsor, whatever the difficulties might be, the recognition of the protection of human rights.
“We are happy to state that we were successful and that the United States delegation enthusiastically supported the plea of the consultants. As a result the four sponsoring powers have included the consultants’ proposals in their joint amendment to Dumbarton Oaks, ” Mr. Blaustein declared. He emphasized that one of the objectives for which the consultant and associate consultants of the American Jewish Committee came to San Francisco was to secure the adoption by the United Nations of the committee’s proposal to have a Commission on Human Rights within the framework of the international organization to be created by the security conference.
Judge Proskauer told the press conference how helpful Mr. Stettinius was in securing the joint amendments and of the tribute Mr. Stettinius paid to the consultants for their assistance and advice. “In the great mass of publicity whish has attended the deliberations of the conference in this critical week, the basic importance and significance of this particular development for the Jews of the whole world must not be overlooked but should be stressed,” Judge Proskauer said. “We are confident that the other nations will follow the lead of the four great powers and that the ultimate charter of the international organization will recognize the protection of human rights as one of its main objectives and will set up a commission guaranteeing the effective protection of those rights.
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.
