Secretary of State Dean Acheson today cabled to Israel Prime Minister David Ben Gurion a message of condolence on the death of Eliezer Kaplan, Israel’s Deputy Premier. Sec. Acheson said: “I have learned with profound regret of the death of Deputy Prime Minister Eliezer Kaplan and extend to his family and to the Israel Government and people sincere sympathy on the loss of this outstanding citizen and public servant.”
Israel’s Ambassador Abba Eban, in a statement issued here, said: “The people of Israel have suffered grievous loss in the passing of their first Finance Minister who sacrificed his health in their service. Eliezer Kaplan alone amongst the Finance Ministers of history was called upon to maintain a state economy against the stress of a population increase exceeding 100 percent in four years. His triumphant achievement in giving new dimensions of the country’s production and creating the conditions for large-scale assistance abroad are part of the heroic annals to which many generations in a stable and prosperous Israel will look back with wonder and awe.”
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.