Virtual Fortress Protects PLO

The fashionable Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, which over the decades has been a home and stopover for numerous diplomats, dignitaries and theatrical celebrities and a mecca for visitors from other cities and abroad, was a virtual fortress today. An estimated 500 police deployed from various precincts in the city, plain-clothes police, FBI agents, special security forces and police sharpshooters were stationed around the hotel, in the plush carpeted lobby and on the roof and in the posh Waldorf Towers where swank suites rent for as much as $450 a day.

The object of this security blanket, one of the tightest in the city’s history, was the PLO representatives who arrived here yesterday to participate in the Assembly debate. The arrival at Kennedy Airport of the advance party of 16 Palestinian representatives was also conducted under extensive security. The Palestinian advance party was booked into 15 suites in the Waldorf Towers as police stood guard on the floors and stairwells.

Some 300 demonstrators carrying signs in English and Hebrew were near the hotel when the Palestinians arrived. Police kept the demonstrators, at a distance by setting up barricades. Earlier in the day some 30 members of Betar were arrested after they chained themselves to the UN fence and burned Arafat in effigy. They were charged with disorderly conduct. Arafat himself is due to arrive here late tonight or tomorrow morning to address the Assembly. It is not yet known where he will stay while in New York.

FBI INVESTIGATING JDL ASSASSINATION THREAT

The Jewish Defense League warned last night that they had men trained to “assassinate” PLO chief Yasir Arafat. A spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations said today that this was an “ugly threat” and that it “violates federal law.” He added that it should be taken seriously, though as far as he knew no arrests have been made. In Washington, the State Department also said it deplored the JDL threat. At the same time, the FBI said today in New York that it is investigating the threat. An FBI spokesman said the agency was brought into the case because the threat may constitute a violation of the “protection of the Foreign Officers Act.” a federal statute.

The threat against Arafat’s life was made by Russell Kelner, who described himself as the JDL’s operations officer, during a press conference at the group’s headquarters in Manhattan. When he made his threat there was a 38-caliber revolver on the table in front of him. A spokesman for Manhattan’s District Attorney Richard Kuh said that Kelner may also have violated three state laws: firearms statute, harassment and second degree coercion, all punishable by stiff jail terms and fines. Kelner was arrested this afternoon;

This afternoon some 200 Jewish youths from the metropolitan area staged a 2 1/2 hour demonstration outside the U.S. Mission to the UN while nine people entered the building and staged a sit-in. The nine, including two rabbis and two members of the Black community, demanded to see U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Scali. After two hours Scali agreed to meet with them. The nine told him that the U.S. government must take a strong stand against the PLO in the General Assembly. Afterwards, all the demonstrators marched 10 blocks to the Waldorf-Astoria to continue their protest against the PLO.

POLICE URGED TO USE RESTRAINT

In another development. New York City Councilman Theodore Silverman of Brooklyn sent a telegram to Police Commissioner Michael Codd today asking him “to issue orders to those under your command to exercise great restraint in the use of force, specifically the billy club.” in dealing with anti-PLO demonstrators, Silverman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he had heard reports that police had used billy clubs against Jewish youths who demonstrated outside the UN yesterday.

Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador Yosef Tekoah said he has asked, and has been granted the right to speak every day of the debate in answer to the Arab statements. He noted that was required “because of the avalanche of Arab speeches to be expected. The Palestine Liberation Organization has the delegations of 20 Arab states at its disposal” while there is only one Jewish State. In addition, the Arab states are a moving force in the nonaligned group that come to close to 100 countries and the Soviet Union is going along with the Arabs.