Rep. Francis E. Walter, Pennsylvania Democrat, today introduced bills to terminate all further immigration from Israel and to deny American landing rights to the E1 A1 Israel airlines unless the Israel Government cooperates in returning convicted spy Robert A. Soblen to the United States.
Rep. Walter is chairman of both the House Immigration Subcommittee and the House Committee on Un-American Activities. He introduced the bills in view of the “Great reluctance.” he said the State Department had displayed in getting Israel to assure the return of Soblen.
Rep. Walter made clear that he held Israel to blame for the present impasse in the Soblen issue, and that he thought retaliation against the Jewish State was in order. Several years ago, during consideration of an immigration bill, Rep. Walter made a condemnation on the floor of Congress of persons he termed “professional Jews” because they sought to liberalize immigration laws.
(In Jerusalem, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion conferred today with members of his Cabinet on the latest demand by the U.S. to deliver Dr. Soblen to New York from London by E1 A1-Israel National Airlines. It is understood that all participants in the conference agreed to stand by the Cabinet decision, instructing E1 A1 not to fly Dr. Soblen to New York.)
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