The members of the United Jewish Appeal Young Leadership, Cabinet group, who had been detained for 10 hours by the Egyptians, and their wives returned to Kennedy Airport yesterday afternoon claiming the whole incident was overplayed in the American press. Three of the men said that at no time during the incident did they fear for their own security as Americans. But they were worried about the Israelis in their group, the tour bus driver, the guide and the members of the military escort.
The group, which included 40 persons, were touring the western Sinai and were captured by the Egyptians when the bus wandered into Egyptian territory while trying to make a turn back. The UJA members said yesterday that their capture was due to a human error by the Finnish UNEF officers who directed them on the road which led to Egyptian territory.
The group was blindfolded and taken to Egyptian Second Army headquarters in Ismailia. The UJA members said that their film and tape recorder cassettes were taken away from them along with their UJA papers. The wives, who had not been permitted to make the trip, first learned of their husbands’ predicament some six hours after it happened when they returned to Tel Aviv from a local tour. They said they were constantly reassured by Israeli officials of the safety of their husbands.
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