U.S. Consul in Jerusalem Protests to Jewish Agency over Seizure of American’s Papers

The American Consul in Jerusalem has reported to the State Department that he made oral protests to the Jewish Agency regarding alleged interference with American citizens in Palestine and asked that it be stopped, was learned here today. The consul’s report, according to a State Department spokesman, characterized the interference as an attempted seizure of documents from American citizen. There were no further details immediately available.

Meanwhile, Rep. A. Somers of New York today introduced a resolution in the House amend the Nationality Act of 1940 to preserve the citizenship status of American citizens serving as members of armed forces or organizations established to maintain ##ace in Palestine. The resolution provides that no citizen of the United States all lose his citizenship if he becomes a member of any “armed force made available the Security Council of the United Nations.”

Senator Wayne Morse of Oregon told the Senate that the U,S, Government, “under ?ouds of legal sophistry, has confirmed the fears of many of us that the State Department lacks the will to have our government do its part to make the Palestine settlement.”

He expressed confidence that the Haganah can maintain peace in Palestine “if we will support it with but a fraction of the energy with which we are supporting the weeks.” With proper equipment and direction, Morse contended, the Haganah would ?ed “only a minimum of outside help even if the Arab states should continue to use ?rce in violation of the U.N. Charter.” He pointed out that “we treat the Jewish agency as an outcast while our dilatory and confused policy encourages the Arab states to violence.”

Rep. Ed Gossett of Texas, speaking in the House, attacked the American position the General Assembly regarding Palestine as “wholly untenable,” declaring that ninety-five percent of the Congress and of the American people….are ready to admit at we have made a terrible mistake.” Asserting that the Arab case was unknown, ?sett inserted in the Congressional Record an address last week by Faris EL Khouri, ?rian delegate to the Security Council, against partition.

Charging that the “delaying tactics”11 of the American Government were contributing almost as must to the chaotic situation in Palestine as the “crime of commission” of the British Government, Dr. Stephen S. Wise, president of the American Jewish congress, tonight told a local Congress meeting here that the authority of the United nations is being undermined by these tactics.