Jewish Groups Protest Official’s Charge London Jews Responsible for Black Market

Jewish spokesmen today protested a statement by (##)gadier V.T.R. Ford, regional food controller at Nottingham, attributing black market activities in London to Jews. The Board of Deputies of British Jews immedi(##)ly sent a strong note to Food Minister John Strachey and announced that the matter (##)ild be brought up in Commons, Strachey refused to comment until he had seen the (##)t of the Ford statement.

Ford’s remarks were made yesterday to a group of German journalists touring (##) country. Describing the food control situation locally, he was quoted as saying : (##) have no large-scale black market activities in the East Midlands region. They (##) mostly in London and chiefly committed by Jews. The big profiteers do not care (##) hoots about imprisonment or fines and they pay huge amounts to barristers. They (##)ll pay any amount, these Jews.”

Shortly after the statement appeared in all the morning newspapers in London, (##)rd issued a denial. Asserting that he had told the Germans that black market of(##)nses were mainly confined to large cities, the official added : “I did say in the (##)urse of discussion that some offenses had been attributed to the very low type of (##)ws.” He also said that he had told this to the correspondents “in confidence” and (##)at the “meeting was supposed to be private.”

A spokesman for the Board of Deputies said that the “Jewish community will be properly indignant at the allegation which is as false as all general accusations. (##)ere is no evidence that the Jewish community is any more guilty than any other sec(##)on of the public.” Although the London newspapers devoted considerable space to (##)rd’s charges, with but one exception, the Daily Express, they ignored the later developments including the Deputies’ protest.