Cabinet Committee Group Meets in Washington on Palestine “federalization” Plan

No statement concerning President Truman’s attitude on the British-proposed Palestine “federalization” plan will be forthcoming today, though a series of meetings on the Palestine question were inaugurated this morning by Acting Secretary of State Dean Acheson, who met with the Cabinet Committee alternates, headed by Henry F. Grady, and the six American members of the former Anglo-American inquiry committee, headed by Judge Joseph C. Hutcheson.

An announcement to this effect was made this afternoon by Charles G. Ross, White House press secretary. He said that President Truman has not yet fixed a time to confer with the Cabinet Committee. He declined to comment as to whether the President has communicated with the British Government on the “federalization” plan.

Secretary of the Treasury John Snyder told his press conference today that President Truman has so far expressed neither dissatisfaction nor satisfaction with the plan. Asked about Mr. Truman’s reported disapproval of the proposal, Secretary Snyder replied that he was not informed of the President’s stand and that he did not believe Mr. Truman had yet talked with Grady and his associates.

The members of the Anglo-American inquiry committee met among themselves this morning prior to the conference at the State Department with Acheson and the alternates of the Cabinet Committee. Judge Hutcheson is understood to believe that his group has at present solely one task: to render judgment as to whether the plan under consideration implements the inquiry committee report, which was to be the basis for the negotiations by Grady with the British. In Judge Hutcheson’s opinion, it is thought, the plan does not meet this test.

RESENT BRITISH STALLING ON ADMISSION OF 100,000 JEWS TO PALESTINE

The inquiry committee members seem agreed that Grady and his associate alternates not only failed to implement the Anglo-American report on Palestine, which was to be the basis for their negotiations, but reversed the report’s positive recommendations. These were for immediate entry of 100,000 displaced European Jews to Palestine, removal of land restrictions and continued immigration of Jews to Palestine. What is felt to be stalling by British officials on the admission of the 100,000 is resented by the inquiry committee members.

Dr. Abba Hillel Silver, president of the Zionist Organization of America, and Dr. Nahum Goldman, member of the executive of the Jewish Agency, arrived in Washington last night for today’s special meeting of the executive committee of the Zionist Emergency Council. Dr. Goldman flew in from Paris. They went into conference with Dr. Emanuel Neumann, vice-president of the ZOA, reviewing developments preliminary to the meeting.

David Dubinsky, president of the International ladies Garment Workers Union, conferred briefly with President Truman this morning on Palestine and Jewish refu- gees. He confined himself to saying that he had made certain suggestions to the President, whom he found sympathetic.

The “Washington Post” in the second of several recent strong editorials on Palestine, assailed the partition plan and expressed confidence that President Truman would not be stampeded into its acceptance.