State Department Will Publish Documents Establishing Mufti’s Collaboration with Axis

Documents establishing collaboration of the ex-Mufti of Jerusalem with the Axis are being translated by the State Department and will be published as part of a collection of material on the Axis.

Acting Secretary of State Dean Acheson was asked at his press conference today whether, in view of the resumption of political activity by the Mufti, the Department is considering publication of the documents and receipts which it has, and which establish the Mufti’s connections with the Axis. While there is no plan to release specific documents, Mr. Acheson said that all the Axis documents of which those relating to the Mufti are a part are being translated and will be published.

The intention of the Department is to release all the documents together, possibly in the form of a White Book. But they may be made public in installments, Acheson said. He gave no date of publication, but indicated that the assembly of the material involved considerable work.

Asked whether the documents concerning the Mufti specifically implicate him as an Axis collaborator, Acheson said a number of documents involve the Mufti but that he, Acheson, was too smart to talk about documents he had not read. The impression left, from his answer, however, was that the documents in the Department’s possession give evidence of the Mufti’s anti-Allied activities during the war.