Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, prior to his departure yesterday from Paris for Moscow, refused to answer questions concerning the situation of Jews in the Soviet Union.
In a news conference lasting almost an hour and a half, many of the 1,200 newsmen present fired various questions dealing with the attitude of the Soviet Government toward the 3,000,000 Jews living in the U.S.S.R. Mr. Khrushchev refused to answer any of those queries.
The Soviet leader was also asked what response he intends to make to a request for a meeting with Israel Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. “I have not received a demand for such a meeting, “he replied. Asked how he would reply if such a request were laid before him, he replied evasively: “If I got such a request, I would answer.”
(Surprise was expressed in Jerusalem today over Mr. Khrushchev’s statement that he received no request from Mr. Ben-Gurion for a meeting. It was pointed out that Mr. Ben-Gurion advanced such a request to the Soviet Ambassador to Israel, prior to the Premier’s trip to Washington and London. The Russian Ambassador, Michael Bodrov, who is on home leave now, is expected to return next month when, presumably, he will bring an answer to Mr. Ben-Gurion’s request.)
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
