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Congressman Attacks U.S. Support of Palestine Partition in House; Will Seek Investigation

December 21, 1947
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United States support of partition at the U.N. General Assembly was attacked here in a speech on the House floor by Rep. Lawrence H. Smith of Wisconsin. He announced that he plans to introduce a resolution in the coming session of Congress authorizing "a full and complete investigation of the acts of public officials and private citizens in the lobby for the partition of Palestine." Rep. Smith is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Charging that the United States exorcised "intense pressure" to swing the countries of Haiti, Liberia and the Philippines to support of partition, Rep. Smith ased that Under-Secretary of State Robert Lovett, among others, reportedly played an important role in bringing the alleged pressure, and said that Congress should be ?med as to the reasons.

Rep. Smith declared that the situation in Palestine is more of a threat to American security than that in Greece and Turkey, so far as Russian interest in Palestine is concerned, and warned that the United States will be compelled to send troops there to implement the Assembly’s decision.

Rep. Jacob K. Javits of New York denied that the United States had been requested to send troops and declared that "the Jewish people of Palestine show every willingness to fight and die themselves for what they believe in." Rep. Smith based his assertion, he said, on certain "radio commentators" who stated that "certain Zionists are about to request the U.S." for military support.

Rep. Ed Gossett of Texas declared that any shipments of arms from this country to Palestine would "further antagonize and alienate" the Arabian world.

Rep. Frances P. Bolton of Ohio, a member of a House Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee, who visited Palestine and other Near Eastern countries this fall, inserted in the Congressional record today a letter from President Alford Carleton of Aleppo ?lege, in Syria, assailing American government support of partition and "wilful disregard" of the advice of its own representatives abroad. He expressed fear in his letter to Mrs. Bolton that the American government will "in a moment of political ?berance, do something foolish to support the Zionist side" in Palestine.

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