Agency Challenges White Paper Evidence; Imprisoned Leaders Face Trial for Terrorism

A spokesman for the Jewish Agency said today that the Agency denies the authenticity of the telegrams contained in the British White Paper issued yesterday and challenges the British Government to prove that the Agency composed or dispatched them.

The “Voice of Israel,” underground radio of the Jewish Resistance Movement, whose broadcasts were also cited in yesterday’s White Paper, warned the Jews of Palestine today to be ready for “phase two” of British military operations. “The second phase will be more cruel than the first,” it said.

A high army officer visited the Latrum detainment camp today and read a formal bill of indictment to Moshe Shertok, Dr. Bernard Joseph and Itzhak Gruenbaum, all members of the executive of the Jewish Agency, and to David Remez, secretary-general of the Histadruth. He informed than that they were charged with terrorist activities and would be tried before a military court. A similar indictment was also read to Wolfgang von Weisl, a former intimate associate of Revisionist leader Vladimir Jabotinsky.

Sir Evelyn Barker, British military commander in Palestine, today placed out of bounds all Jewish homes, shops and places of entertainment. His order was the most sweeping non-fraternization rule to be issued here.

A meeting today of the executive committees of the Agency and the Jewish National Council, together with the praesidium of the Inner Zionist Actions Committee, discussed the White Paper for two hours, but adopted no decisions and issued no statements. They will reconvene on Sunday.

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE CAMPAIGN DEFERRED AS RESULT OF BOMBING, WHITE PAPER

The civil disobedience campaign which was slated to go into effect today to protest continued detention of the Jewish Agency leaders and nearly 2,000 other Jews has temporarily been abandoned in view of the King David Hotel bombing and the issuance of the White Paper. It is understood that future plans will be worked out at the Paris meeting of the Agency executive next week.

The unarrested Palestine members of the Agency — Rabbi Jacob Fishman, Eliahu Dobkin and Emil Schmorak — are planning to leave early next week. Isaac Ben Zvi, president of the Jewish National Council, and S. Z. Shragal, of the Council’s Press and Information Department, are also going to Paris.

The Agency spokesman’s statement on the White Paper read as follows: “By adducing a jumble of alleged telegrams stated to have been sent nine months ago, of extracts from broadcasts by the ‘Voice of Israel’ station and of passages culled from publications of terrorist groups, the British Government claims to have obtained proof of cooperation between some members of the Jewish Agency and Hagana and of coordination in some cases between Hagans and terrorist bands. Not a single one of the alleged telegrams emanated from the Jewish Agency in Palestine. The Jewish Agency cannot accept the authenticity of these alleged telegrams and challenges the British Government to prove that the Jewish Agency was responsible for their composition, authorization or despatch.”

Meanwhile weary British troops continued working today in the debris of the King David Hotel, As of late afternoon the death toll was 66, with 57 still missing and 47 wounded in hospitals.