Secretary of State George C. Marshall today hinted that Britain may not be planning to impose martial law in Palestine, and at tributed the widely-held belief that military rule is inminent to the various published reports that have been appearing.
(At a meeting in London this afternoon with Jewish Agency representatives, Colonial Secretary Arthur Creech-Jones is reported to have said that the letter sent to the Jewish Agency on Monday did not constitute an ultimatum and the reports of impending action were exaggerated. He added that there was no cause for alarm.)
Volunteering his remarks on Palestine to the first press conference he has held since assuming the position of Secretary, Marshall said that in his opinion there has been some confusion as to the purposes of the British Government’s actions in Palestine. He said that it has been assumed that the measures taken indicate strong military action, and expressed the belief that this is not the case at all.
The Secretary disclosed that the United States is being kept closely informed on the progress of the delicate negotiations on Palestine which are currently under way in London. He expressed the hope that the contending parties will sit down to a pacific settlement of the vexatious issues, and voiced concern as to the actual situation in Palestine itself.
Marshall refused to elaborate further, stating that he had probably said too much already, and that it was necessary to be very careful in what he said because of the London negotiations.
Referring to his recent letter to Senator Vandenberg, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, in which he listed legislation for entry of displaced persons into the United States among the priority plans of the State Department, Marshall said that he was not prepared at this time to specify the number of DP’s that would be recommended for entry. This is being given very careful consideration, according to the Secretary, and will be first discussed before the committees of Congress which will write the legislation.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
