The State Department this afternoon denied a report published in a New York morning paper that Secretary of State George C. Marshall is strongly opposed to a three-point program of UCS. aid to Israel advocated by President Truman.
The report indicated that Marshall threatened to resign should the President insist upon the adoption of his program which allegedly urges the granting of a $100,COO,OCO lean to Israel, extension of de jure recognition to the Jewish state and U.S. support for Israel’s forthcoming application for membership in the U.N.
State Department press officer Michael J, McDermott told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency he was “sure there is nothing to the report, “because there is no conflict between the Secretary and President Truman.” McDermott added that the question of extending a loan to Israel is “under study” as is the question of de Jure recognition. Pointing out that Israel has to date not submitted a formal application to the U.N. for membership, the Department official said the United States “would certainly view it sympathetically under the Charter” when the application is submitted.
The White Rouse had no comment to make on the New York report, which said that Truman proposed his three-point pro-Israel plan at a recent meeting of his closest political advisers. Presidential press secretary Charles G, Ross declared that the reference in the report to Marshall’s resignation is “certainly news to me.”
Rep, Sol Bloom told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that, in a call on–President Truman last Wednesday, he left with the President a four-page memorandum outlining the three pro-Israel steps and why and hew it was possible to carry them out. He said he went over the memorandum point by point with the President and urged that now was the time to carry through on the three points.
Bloom said he also left a copy of the memorandum with the President for transmission to Secretary Marshall and asked the President to get Marshall’s views’ on the matter. He said he had had no word that either the President or Secretary Marshall disagreed with the three points raised so he assumed that they were stilly working on the memorandum.
Asked if the President had seemed favorably disposed towards the three proposals, Bloom said he felt confident that the President would carry out the steps; just as soon as he is able to do so. President Truman is “just about as good a friend as we’ve ever had,” he said.
Meanwhile, Secretary Marshall today was urged “by the .American Jewish Conference to ask the U.S. delegation to the Security Council to press for the immediate liberation of the 11,000 Jews “held captive on Cyprus by a government whose connection with Palestine affairs ended 12 weeks ago.” The passage pointed out that the continued detention of the Jews on the island is not only contrary to the present Palestine truce agreement, “but denies the refugees the very fundamental human rights Americans have long cherished.”
The State Department has asked U.S consul-general John J. MacDonald in Jerusalem for a further report on the week-end’ shooting of Joseph Frzyrowski, a consulate guard, it vas announced here today, A Department spokesman declined to say what, if any, action might be taken when additional information is received from Jerusalem.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
