U.S. Asks Britain, Israel, Egypt Not to Impede Rhodes Armistice Negotiations

The United States Government has informed the governments of Britain, Israel and Egypt of the American hope that they would exercise greatest restraint in dealing with the shooting down of British planes, in ?ew of deep American concern that nothing should impede the progress being made in ?etting the truce talks under way on the island of Rhodes, Acting Secretary of State ?bert A. Lovett told a press conference today.

American concern, he said, had been over perfecting the truce agreement which to the moment of the incident had appeared to show promising signs of progress. he said the Department feels that the situation, now in the hands of the U.N., has a promising prospect of settlement if, “and I underline the if,” he said, the conversations at Rhodes go on as scheduled. Asked if this government had any information as to why the British planes were in the Palestine area at that moment, Lovett replied what the United States only knew what the British told it.

Eliahu Epstein, Israeli representative to the United States, conferred with Lovett this afternoon for 45 minutes but told reporters later that he could not disclose the details of their discussion. Epstein was accompanied by Aubrey S. Ebon, Israeli representative to the United Nations.

Later, it was learned that Epstein told Lovett that Britain should bear full responsibility for wrecking efforts being mode by the United States Government and by Israel to achieve peace in the Middle East. He was understood to have told Lovett ?hat Israel was deeply disturbed by reports Britain was applying pressure to Egypt and other Arab states to keep them from entering armistice negotiations in order that the peace could be achieved only on Britain’s terms.

He was also understood to have told the Acting Secretary that recent British military preparations in the area, amounting to a “war of nerves,” had been timed to start at a moment when Israel was closer to peace with the Arabs than ever before in the past.

British Ambassador Sir Oliver Franks conferred with Lovett late today and told reporters after his call that they had “looked over the Palestine situation and reviewed some of its problems.” He declined further comment.