More than 15,000 persons have visited the courtroom where Adolf Eichmann is being tried since the trial began April 11, it was indicated here today.
Among them have been Mrs. Rachel Ben-Zvi, Israel’s First Lady, who attended the trial today. Since the departure of some of the foreign correspondents, some 600 persons, both Israelis and tourists, have been admitted to the court to watch the proceedings daily.
Nearly all members of the Cabinet, Jewish Agency executive members, most Members of Parliament and other officials have attended some of the sessions. These have included Dr. Nahum Goldmann; Dr. Joseph J. Schwartz, executive vice-president of the Israel Bond Organization; Walter Reuther, head of the United Auto Workers, and Mrs. Ben-Gurion, wife of the Prime Minister.
An estimated 30,000 others have followed the trial on a giant television screen from a closed circuit at nearby Ratisbonne Hall, a monastery which served temporarily as a site for the Hebrew University law school. Admission to Ratisbonne is on a first-come, first seated basis.
Some 90 of the original 350 foreign correspondents are still present, the largest contingent being that of West Germany. Less than a dozen of the original group of 100 American correspondents are still covering the trial. Except for news agency correspondents, all of the British, French, Dutch, Belgian and Italian correspondents have left Israel. Still covering are the reporters from Yugoslavia, Poland and East Germany.
As of last night, the 42nd session, more than 7,000 pages of documents were introduced with more than 20,000,000 words of testimony. Since April 9, two days before the trial opened, newsmen filed 5,500 cables, and 2,000 Telex messages, accounting together for more than 2,500,000 words of copy. This was exclusive of copy filed by major news agencies over leased wires for which the Israel Post Office has no records.
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