Czechoslovakian Authorities Detain Seven Persons in Prague over Jordan’s Death

Seven persons have been detained by Czechoslovakian authorities in Prague in connection with the mysterious death there last week of Charles H. Jordan, executive vice-chairman of the Joint Distribution Committee, the Sunday Observer reported here today. According to the report, “many more people, including several foreigners, are being interrogated.”

Mr. Jordan’s body was released by the Czechs last night, and was placed aboard an American commercial airliner today for transfer to New York. But, according to Edward Crankshaw, the Sunday Observer’s political correspondent, the body was released only after United States pressure. Mr. Crankshaw stated that the U.S. Department of State had threatened that, unless the Jordan body were released immediately, the U.S.A. would suspend the validity of all American passports in Czechoslovakia.

According to Mr. Crankshaw, the Jordan affair had intensified the “already deep diversions within the Czechoslovakian leadership.” He said the Czech intelligentsia, including members of the Writers Congress, had already shown dissatisfaction with the Government’s leadership because of the stand against Israel taken by the Government as a result of the June war between the Arab states and Israel. Now, Mr. Crankshaw declared, “there is even more feeling against the Government, and those feelings are higher than in some other East European countries.”