Francis Lacoste, French Resident-General in Morocco, today expressed his “deep regret” over the pogrom which cost six Jewish lives last week at Petitjean.
He assured Jewish leaders that he will “put into effect all steps possible in order to prevent Jews and other sections of our population from coming to harm as a result of the propaganda let loose here in consequence of the campaign of hatred launched by extremists.”
These assurances were wired by him to Benjamin Heller, president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Algeria, and Jacques Lazarus, head of the World Jewish Congress North African bureau. The Jewish leaders had telegraphed M. Lacoste, after last week’s pogrom, expressing “deep emotion and shock over the outrageous murders.”
M. Lacoste was urged by them to take “all measures insuring the efficient protection of Moroccan subjects of Jewish origin.” They also requested him to take steps leading to the “arrest and just punishment of the instigators and executors of the massacre.”
(The New York Times today compares the assurances given by the new Premier of Tunis, that there will be no abuse of Tunisia’s Jewish population, with the anti-Jewish riots in Morocco. Pointing out that no such assurances came from the Moslems in Morocco, the Times editorial says: “It will be necessary for France, in whatever steps are taken to find a better modus vivendi with the Moroccans, to see to it that minority groups are safe-guarded there also.”)
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