Conduct of U.S. Delegation at U.N. Draws Fire, Praise from American Jewish Groups

The conduct of the United States delegation at the special U.N. session on Palestine today elicited both condemnation and praise from various American Jewish bodies.

The American Jewish Conference stated that the Jews of this country are greatly disturbed over the failure of the American delegation to secure “fair and equitable presentation of the Jewish case” in view of the unlimited discussion by the Arabs of their side of the Palestine issue. The statement was made in telegrams to President Truman, Secretary of State George C. Marshall and Warren Austin, American delegate to the U.N. session.

Protesting the American delegation’s assent to a “substantive discussion” in the Assembly’s General Committee, without the presence of Jewish representatives, the telegrams urged the U.S. representatives to oppose further discussion of the Palestine problem unless the Jewish people are given a voice. The members of the General Committee were urged, in a separate telegram, to “recognize the Jewish Agency for Palestine as the sole representative of the Jewish people before the United Nations.”

PROSKAUER CHALLENGES NEUMANN CRITICISM OF U.S. ATTITUDE

On the other hand, Judge Joseph M. Proskauer, president of the American Jewish Committee, issued a statement praising the American delegation for its “efficient” and “tactful” attitude at the session. Taking issue with a speech yesterday by Dr. Emanuel Neumann, vice president of the Z.O.A. and a member of the Jewish Agency executive, who criticized the United States role at the U.N. so far, Judge Froskauer cited the defeat of the Egyptian proposal for a full discussion of the Palestine issue at this time as evidence that the “action of American representatives gives no basis for such criticism.”

Asserting that “violence of speech” was as dangerous to the Jewish cause as terrorism, Judge Proskauer said “this is not the time for bombs or bombast.” He concluded with the statement that the Committee is wholly in accord with the position that the present discussions should be concerned with the appointment of an investigating committee and “is confident that our representatives will effectively see to it that a truly impartial committee will be appointed.”

Commenting on Judge Proskauer’s statement, Dr. Neumann tonight denied disparaging “the organs of the U.N., for which I entertain all due respect,” and declared that he had only criticized the attitude of the British Government, “as well as the apparent inclination of the State Department to play a ‘neutral role'” when a more vigorous policy might have been anticipated. “As to the question of violence in Palestine referred to by Judge Proskauer, I fail to understand its relevance in the context of my remarks,” Dr. Neumann added.

WORLD AND AMERICAN JEWISH CONGRESS DEMAND JEWISH REPRESENTATION

The World Jewish Congress sent a telegram to Dr. Oswaldo Aranha, president of the General Assembly, supporting the application of the Jewish Agency for representation at the Assembly session. The telegram was signed by Dr. Stephen S. Wise and Dr. Leon Kubowitzki, secretary-general of the organization. In another message to President Truman, Rabbi Wise urged that the State Department and Mr. Austin demand that there be no further discussion of the Palestine case unless the Jews are represented by the Jewish Agency.

The Administrative Committee of the American Jewish Congress adopted a resolution voicing protest at the failure of the United Nations to grant the Jewish Agency non-voting participation in the General Assembly and called on the American Government “to give fullest support to such policies as will make possible within the immediate future the entry of large numbers of Jews to Palestine and the establishment in Palestine of a Jewish Commonwealth.”

U.S. ASKED TO DISAVOW REACTIONARY INTERESTS IN MIDDLE EAST

If President Truman is serious about his plan to foster democratic interests throughout the world, then the U.S. must take the lead in protecting Jewish rights at the current U.N. session, Mrs. Mosos P. Epstein, president of the Hadassah, asserted today at a luncheon of the New York chapter of the organization. She insisted that the U.S. Government must give notice that “we are not backing reactionary interests and imperialism in the Middle East,” adding that it was “short-range and muddy thinking” to believe that appeasing the Arab overlords will bring liberation to the Arab masses.

The Agudas Israel Organization sent messages to all delegations at the U.N. meeting asking them to support a proposal instructing Britain to admit 4,000 Jews to Palestine monthly during the interim period before the international body arrives at a final solution of the issue. It also called for full implementation of the terms of the Palestine Mandate and the Balfour Declaration.

The Political Action Committee for Palestine dispatched a telegram to Mr. Truman criticizing him for the “negative” stand of the U.S. delegation on the fight of the Jews to be heard before the U.N.