Seven-hundred and three visaless Jews who arrived in Palestine yesterday aboard the immigrant ship Susanah, which ran aground near Gaza after having slipped through the British blockade, were deported to Cyprus today aboard the British freighter Empire Rival.
Troops are scouring the Nagev in search of an undermined number of refugees who succeeded in getting ashore from the Susanah before military patrols arrived. Haganah sources said today that several hundred escaped. Thwarted in their attempt to pick up the fugitives, the troops are arresting scores of legitimate settlers, charging them with being illegal immigrants.
Before the Empire Rival sailed, 120 permanent residents who had mingled with the refugees to confuse the searchers were segregated from the others and ordered to return home. However, the newspaper Mishmar claims that 200 members of Kibbutsim, who refused to identify themselves were also deported.
The first transport of 400 from the Susanah arrived at Haifa early this morning after an 11-hour trip and was planed aboard the deportation ship after troops overcame the resistance of part of the group. A smaller transport arrived a few hours later and was embarked without incident. The last 120 passengers were taken off the Susanah by breaches buoy. The number who succeeded in making good their escape yesterday is not known.
A Jewish Agency spokesman today expressed regret at the death of a naval petty offices and two seamen who were drowned when the boat from which they were attempting to pick up refugees who were swimming from the Susanah to shore was overturned.
American Vice-Consul Randolph Roberts today visited the 18 American crew member of the Ben Hecht who are being held in Acre prison pending a hearing and the charge that they added and abetted illegal immigration. After the visit, the U.S. Consul General is understood to have cabled Washington asking State Department intervention to quash the charges against the seaman.
The surfer on road traffic which was #####.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
