Blaustein Urges All Americans to Combat Arab Propaganda in U.S.

Americans were urged here today by Jacob Blaustein, honorary president of the American Jewish Committee, to help counteract Arab attempts “to disunite the American people over the Middle East crisis.” Addressing an AJC dinner here, he scored Arab efforts to define the Middle East crisis as a Jewish problem.” This, he said, is “an American problem.” “It is important to counteract falsehood with truth, to expose any campaign–whether by Arabs, Communists or hate-mongers–designed to stimulate intergroup hostility in the United States, he stated.

Declaring that “Israel’s very existence is now in jeopardy, Mr. Blaustein said the American Jewish Committee is urging “prompt” shipment of defensive arms to Israel and initiation by the United States of security treaties with each Middle East nation willing to accept and comply with the terms of such agreements. He pointed out the Arabs have “stepped up their anti-Israel propaganda in the United States, and have injected into it an overt anti-Semitic approach.”

At the same time, he noted, anti-Jewish discrimination behind the Iron Curtain continues unabated. “Except for a few carefully controlled synagogues, there are still no Jewish organizations functioning,” he stated, describing conditions of Jews in the Soviet Union, where “people discovered with Jewish books are still being arrested and deported.”