Senators Mead, Murray Stress Need for Jewish Army in Middle East

U. S. Senator James M. Mead of New York, speaking last night, before 700 guests, at the testimonial dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, tendered to Pierre van Paassen, foreign correspondent, and national chairman of the Committee for a Jewish Army, declared that “We should recognize that to discriminate against the stateless and Palestinian Jews by refusing them the status and dignity we have granted to the Free Dutch, the Free Poles, the Free Czechs and the Free French, and all other free peoples, is to violate the sacred principles for which we are fighting!”

Stressing the fact that the Axis forces are making one gigantic effort to converge in the Middle East, Senator Mead stated, “The need for, the very existence of your Committee for an army of Stateless and Palestinian Jews is now eloquent proof of our failure to understand the meaning of total war. If we did, there would today be in the Middle East, in Palestine, around the Suez, a Jewish Army fighting proudly and equally with all other peoples in the cause of liberty and freedom, and defending it only as a people who have real reason to hate would.”

Senator James E. Murray of Montana, another principal speaker, declared: “How can we ignore a proposal to strengthen the democratic forces physically and morally with a couple of hundred thousand men, who ever since Hitler’s ascension to power, have been his most uncompromising foes? I say, I know that no true Christian could withhold from these victims of Nazidom the privilege of fighting back at Hitler, and fighting back as Jews.”

Among the other speakers at the dinner were Brigadier General Lewis B. Hershey, Selective Service director, Alfred A Streslin, chairman of the executive board of the Committee for a Jewish Army, Louis Nizer, Peter H. Bergson of Palestine and Mr. Van Paassen. The dinner climaxed an all-day conference which delegates from all parts of the country attended.