Deportation of Haifa Bay Refugees to Cyprus Imminent; Troops out off Port Area

The deportation to Cyprus of the 1,450 Jewish refugees aboard three small vessels in Haifa harbor is imminent and may take place tonight, the JTA learned this afternoon.

Several thousand troops in full battle-dress poured into Haifa this morning and cordoned off the port district ordering out all civilians. Machine-gun nests surrounded by barbed wire entanglements have been set up and tanks are rumbling along the dock area. Several landing craft are moored near the refugee ships. Nearby is the British passenger liner “Empire River,” which will probably transport the visaless Jews to Cyprus.

Meanwhile, an official announcement this afternoon said that 2 ships “believed to be carrying illegal immigrants” have been sighted off the Palestine coast, but it is not known when they will reach Haifa.

Reports reaching here from Cyprus say that it is believed that the first batch of Jewish immigrants will arrive tomorrow. The reports revealed that large quantities of beds, tents and medical equipment have been landed from a British ship and British troops have taken up quarters in part of the hurriedly erected camp at Famagusta.

It is planned, according to the reports, to erect five camps, each of which will house about 1,000 immigrants, four to a tent. Water mains are being laid, but there will probably be no electric light. It is difficult to obtain information concerning the arrangements, as newspapermen have been barred from the camps.

All Greek newspapers in Cyprus have expressed opposition to the arrival of the refugee Jews, although the mayor of Famagusta was quoted by Reuters as stating that if the persons to be brought there are “in transit and needing temporary refuge before returning to their mother country, we should help in any way we can.” He expressed puzzlement as to the reason for the “fortress-like quality” of the camps.

A Reuters report from Valetta in Malta today said that operations connected with Palestine were the main topic of discussions there between Sir Algernon Willis, British commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean, and other high-ranking naval officers.

The underground Jewish radio “Voice of Israel” in a special broadcast today appealed to the British Navy “not to besmirch the glorious traditions of Nelson and Trafalgar by hunting down defenseless refugee ships.”

PALESTINE ARABS WILL PROBABLY ATTEND LONDON ROUND-TABLE TALKS

Following reported assurances by High Commissioner Sir Alan Cunningham that only 1,500 Jews would be admitted to Palestine monthly and that the Arabs would have an opportunity to present counter-proposals to the “federalization plan,” Jamal Husseini, vice-chairman of the Arab Higher Committee, is understood to have told the High Commissioner that the Palestine Arabs would probably attend the round-table talks in London. He said that he would, however, have to obtain the consent of the ex-Mufti.

Husseini is leaving for Alexandria where a conference of the foreign ministers of the Arab states is scheduled to open tomorrow to discuss the Palestine issue. It is expected to last for several days. The Mufti is in Alexandria at present.

Tension continued in Jerusalem today following yesterday’s raids by British police during which five Jews were arrested and a false telephoned warning today that the studios of the Palestine Broadcasting System were to be bombed. The PBS building was hurriedly evacuated, but a police search uncovered no explosives. A similar call was made to the Land Registry Office last night.

This morning five members of the Irgun made an unsuccessful attempt to free two of their comrades from a government hospital in Jaffa. Disguised as orderlies, the five drove up to the hospital in a Red Cross ambulance. They disarmed one policeman, but another opened fire, wounding one of the “orderlies.” After throwing a few grenades at the hospital, they escaped into a waiting taxi and fled. The taxi, which was later found abandoned, had been stolen earlier.