British pressure on Israel to take out Dr. Robert Soblen, the fugitive from a life sentence in the U.S. for espionage for Soviet Russia, from London on an El Al plane to New York seemed to have been removed, at least temporarily, with the announcement by the British Government last night that the Home Office has officially ordered Soblen’s deportation.
Under this order, Soblen can now be deported from England on any plane flying to the United States. Dr. Soblen, who is still in Brixton Prison here, was served with the deportation order last night. However, the Home Office indicated that “he will not be leaving immediately” and that it will take at least “several days” before he would be deported.
Soblen’s lawyers indicated today that they will bring the deportation case for a hearing before the high court, since the Government cannot extradite from Britain anyone guilty of a crime that is not extraditable. Espionage is not extraditable under the treaty between the United States and Britain. The courts here are now in recess until October, thus Soblen could get a delay of about seven weeks.
The order for Dr. Soblen’s deportation was issued after an hour’s conference yesterday between U.S. Ambassador David Bruce and Sir Charles Cunningham, permanent undersecretary of the Home Office.
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