British Destroyers Leave Palestine to Intercept Ship with Visaless Immigrants

British destroyers left port today to intercept a ship carrying visaless Jewish immigrants. They will escort the vessel to a Palestine port. The ship, which was sighted by R.A.F. planes, is believed to have more than 1,000 Jewish passengers aboard.

British troops continued today their hunt for the three kidnapped officers still held by the Irgun, following an announcement over the Irgun underground radio that none of the three has been released as yet and that all of them will be executed if the death sentence imposed last week upon two Irgun members is not commuted. The commutation of the sentences was also urged in a broadcast over the Haganah radio.

The local press reports that Maj. H.B. Chadwick, who it was believed escaped from the kidnappers last week, actually was released to act as liaison between the authorities and the Irgun in an attempt to arrange the release of the men still held in return for a promise of clemency for the two condemned members of the Irgun.

The newspaper Mishmar, organ of the Hashomer Hazair, says today that the nine Jews who were killed in a raid on the Haifa Bay railway yards last Tuesday were shot down in cold blood after they had surrendered. Troops opened fire on the attackers as they stood with their arms upraised, the newspaper charges.

The Arab press reports today that eight Jews were arrested in Lebanon this past week for spying on harbors and roads in preparation for smuggling Jews into Palestine.

The Arabs here are still celebrating the return of the ex-Mufti of Jerusalem to the Middle East. A big Arab youth demons ration was held in Jaffa yesterday and the Arab Party, which is dominated by the Hussein family, of which the Mufti is the leader, is arranging special prayers of thanksgiving in all mosques.