Prime Minister David Ben Gurion, it was officially confirmed today, is vacationing in France. He left Israel last Friday under such conditions of secrecy that some of his associates in the Israeli Cabinet did not even know of his departure until Sunday’s Cabinet meeting.
Correspondents had been informed in advance of Mr.Een Gurion’s departure but a strict security ban prevented any disclosure until his arrival at Marseilles was reported.
Mr. Ben-Gurion, accompanied by his wife and two aides, sailed from Haifa aboard the Israeli liner Theodor Herzl. Reservations were made for an unidentified personage and the line and the ship’s crew were not aware of the personage’s identity until the Ben Gurion party boarded the liner.
Mr. Ben Gurion, who underwent a physical check-up last week and was given a clean bill of health, was ordered to take a complete rest and his physicians recommended a sea voyage. As on previous occasions, Mr. Ben Gurion coupled the advice of Israeli security officers and agreed to a complete black-out on his movements.
The Ben Gurion party reached Haifa port by a circuitous route on Friday and bearded the liner only a few moments before its scheduled sailing. As soon as the party boarded the ship, the gangplank was hauled in and the ship made ready to move out to sea.
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