Eisenhower Urged to Act Against’s Mass Deportation of Jews

President Eisenhower was asked today by American Jewish leaders from 27 states to intervene with Egypt against the mass deportation of Jews from that country and the confiscation of their property. The President was also asked to instruct the American delegation at the United Nations to bring to the attention of the UN the fact that thousands of Jews in Egypt have been served with deportation orders, or hurled into internment camps.

The appeal to the President was issued by the two-day conference convened by presidents of 17 major national Jewish organizations which concluded tonight at the Hotel Delmonico. The conference discussed problems concerning American-Israel relations, in connection with the Middle East crisis. The text of the appeal reads;

“Less than eleven years ago you were a shocked witness to the consequences of racist persecution by the Nazi regime and of man’s inhumanity to man. Your words and conduct at that time bespoke the outraged conscience of the American people and its determination to prevent the repetition of such unspeakable crimes.

“In recent days Mr. President, we have been made aware of the Egyptian Government’s conduct which, if unchecked, may lead to a repetition of the Hitler era. Thousands of men, women and children, whose only alleged crime is that they are of the Jewish faith, have been served notices of deportation or hurled into internment camps and divested of their possessions.

“We respectfully urge, Mr. President, that you communicate, through our Ambassador in Egypt, our country’s shock, the Egyptian Government’s conduct, that you instruct our delegation to the United Nations to present these facts before all relevant agencies of the world organization, and that you lend the full weight of your authority to a stern and immediate warning to the Egyptian rulers that our country, our people, and the civilized world generally will not countenance this inhumanity.”