White House Has “no Comment” on Bevin’s Attack Against Truman’s Palestine Policy

A White House spokeman said today that President Truman had “no comment” on Foreign Secretary Bevin’s statement in Parliament in which he charged the U.S. Government with hindering a solution of the Palestine problem, and implied that Truman’s repeated request for the admission of 100,000 Jews from Europe to Palestine was motivated by “election rivalries.”The text of Bevin’s speech and his references to the United States was being carefully studied at the State Department.

Rep. Charles A. Eaton of New Jersey, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, termed Bevin’s attack against President Truman “so fraught with passion and fear” as to make the finding of a solution a difficult matter. He recommended reduction of “agitation” until the September meeting of the United Nations.

Rep. Sol Bloom of New York, ranking Democratic member of the House Foreign Affairs committee, said that Bevin’s speech was “stupid, stupid, stupid,” and suggested that the Foreign Minister acquaint himself with the facts in the case as “everybody from Roosevelt to Churchill had done.”

Jewish leaders expressed gratification today at President Truman’s reiteration in his statement to a delegation of United Jewish Appeal leaders who saw him yesterday – that the U.S. is still attempting to secure the admission of 100,000 Jews to Palestine. The President’s statement was felt to be particularly significant in view of British charges – even prior to Bevin’s statement – that the U.S. has been responsible for the failure of the Jews to agree to British proposals.