ANY POSSIBILITY THAT THE UNITED STATES MIGHT BE ASKED TO ACCEPT THE MANDATE OVER PALESTINE WAS DISMISSED TODAY WHEN PRIME MINISTER NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN TOLD THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IT WAS BASED ON THE INCORRECT ASSUMPTION THAT GREAT BRITAIN WAS UNWILLING TO CONTINUE ITS ADMINISTRATION.
SIR NEVILLE’S STATEMENT WAS MADE IN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY GEOFFREY MANDER, LIBERAL, WHO ASKED WHETHER ” IN VIEW OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT’S UNWILLINGNESS TO CONTINUE TO ADMINISTER THE MANDATE OF PALESTINE, THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE PREPARED TO ACQUIESCE IN ANY PROPOSAL THAT MAY BE MADE BY THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS TO TRANSFER THE MANDATE TO THE UNITED STATES.”
SIR NEVILLE SAID:
” THE FIRST PART OF THE QUESTION IS NOT A CORRECT STATEMENT OF THE POSITION AND THE SECOND PART DOES NOT THEREFORE ARISE.”
WAR SECRETARY HORE-BELISHA, REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY COL. JOSIAH WEDGWOOD, LABORITE, ON THE WAR OFFICE’S ATTITUDE TOWARD THE PROPOSED FRONTIERS OF THE ARAB AND JEWISH STATES TO BE CREATED UNDER THE PARTITION SCHEME, REVEALED THAT THE ROYAL COMMISSION HAD INFORMAL CONVERSATIONS WITH THREE CHIEFS-OF-STAFF BEFORE MAKING ITS RECOMMENDATIONS.
THE GOVERNMENT, ASSISTED BY MILITARY FORCES, IS WATCHING THE SITUATION IN PALESTINE AND WILL TAKE ALL NECESSARY MEASURES TO MAINTAIN ORDER, WILLIAM G.A. ORMSBY-GORE, COLONIAL SECRETARY, SAID IN COMMONS YESTERDAY.
THE STATEMENT WAS MADE IN REPLY TO COL. JOSIAH WEDGWOOD, WHO ASKED WHETHER MEASURES HAD BEEN TAKEN TO HALT AGITATION BY GRAND MUFTI HAJ AMIN EL HUSSEINI. ASKED WHETHER THE GRAND MUFTI WOULD BE ARRESTED, THE COLONIAL SECRETARY SAID THAT DEPENDED ON WHAT HE DID.
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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.
