Italy Promises ‘hands Off’

PREMIER BENITO MUSSOLINI TODAY ASSURED GREAT BRITAIN THAT HE WOULD DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO AVOID ANY ITALIAN ACTION WHICH MIGHT AGGRAVATE THE DELICATE SITUATION BETWEEN JEWS AND ARABS IN PALESTINE, THE HAVAS NEWS AGENCY REPORTED.

IN A PERSONAL MESSAGE TO FOREIGN SECRETARY ANTHONY EDEN, IL DUCE DECLARED THAT ALL NECESSARY STEPS HAD BEEN TAKEN TO AVOID ITALIAN RADIO BROADCASTS OF COMMENT WHICH MIGHT ADD NEW FUEL TO THE PALESTINE CRISIS.

THE MESSAGE WAS HANDED TO THE FOREIGN SECRETARY BY ITALIAN AMBASSADOR DINO GRANDI IN RESPONSE TO RECENT BRITISH PROTESTS AGAINST ANTI-BRITISH PROPAGANDA BROADCAST BY THE POWERFUL ITALIAN RADIO STATION AT BARI.

EDEN EXPRESSED THE THANKS OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT FOR IL DUCE’S CONTRIBUTION TO ITS EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN ORDER IN THE NEAR EAST.

BRITISH PRESS APPROVES PARTITION

A DEMAND FOR “NEW LEADERS AND NEW METHODS” IN JERUSALEM TO CARRY OUT BRITAIN’S PARTITION SCHEME WAS VOICED TODAY BY THE TIMES OF LONDON. THE PAPER ATTACKED THE PRESENT BRITISH ADMINISTRATION IN PALESTINE, WHICH IT SAID HAD AROUSED “THE DISTRUST OF THE JEWS AND THE SARDONIC AMUSEMENT OF THE ARABS.”

“PARTITION IS CLEARLY THE ONLY REMEDY FOR A STATE OF AFFAIRS WHICH MUST OTHER WISE GO FROM BAD TO WORSE, WITH INCREASING MORAL DISCREDIT AND FINANCIAL LOSS TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND WITH DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES TO ARAB AND JEW ALIKE,” THE TIMES SAID. “PARTITION DOES OFFER THE GREATEST POSSIBLE COMMON MEASURE OF JUSTICE TO THE TWO NATIONS OF PALESTINE AND TO THE BRITISH TAXPAYER.”

OTHER LONDON PAPERS OF ALL SHADES OF OPINION APPROVED THE PARTITION PLAN. THE MORNING POST DECLARED THAT “IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SUGGEST ANY OTHER ALTERNATIVE SO WELL CALCULATED TO MOLD A SEMBLANCE OF ORDER OUT OF PALESTINE’S CHAOS.”

THE HERALD AND THE NEWS-CHRONICLE BOTH HELD PARTITION THE BEST POSSIBLE SOLUTION OF THE PALESTINE PROBLEM, CONSIDERING ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.