Search JTA's historical archive dating back to 1923

British Security Officials Forced Prosecution of Officer Who Scored Palestine Policy

October 30, 1946
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
Advertisement

The allegedly libellous article concerning British policy in Palestine written by Lieut. Kenneth Gourlay for the "Cairo Citadel," British army newspaper, brought no action from the authorities until security officials found a copy of it three months later in the possession of an Auxiliary Territorial Service-woman who was travelling to Palestine from Egypt.

Gourlay’s commanding officer admitted today under cross-examination that the article had been written in reply to an invitation from the editors of the Citadel, which had previously published a pro-Arab letter on the Palestine situation. The defendant, testifying in his own behalf this afternoon, said that the article was based on his own observations and information furnished him by fellow officers who were Palestinians.

After the prosecution concluded its case, the defense counsel asked for a dismissal of the charges on the grounds that the prosecution had not made out a case, but he was overruled by the court. Cross-examined by the prosecution, Gourlay denied that he had likened the Palestine Government to the Nazis, but said that an investigation of its activities would turn up facts as startling as those revealed at Nuremberg.

(The Palestine Government censor yesterday suppressed a report of the trial which contained quotations from the article in the Citadel and from letters written to the Palestine press by Gourlay.)

Recommended from JTA

Advertisement