Weizmann Confers with Colonial Secretary; Shertok Defines Agency’s Attitude to USSR

Dr. Chaim Weizmann, president of the Jewish Agency, today conferred with Colonial Secretary Arthur Creech-Jones, and it is understood that their discussions were in preparation for the resumption next month of the conference on Palestine.

Meanwhile, Moshe Shertok, chief of the Jewish Agency’s political department, asked whether the Agency would “prefer an alliance with Russia” in order to achieve a settlement of the Palestine problem, said:

“The question does not arise. Our first business is to try to get a favorable settlement with Britain which is the mandatory power and is in effective control of Palestine. The settlement we are striving for is a Jewish state. Such a settlement would have to be approved by the United Nations.”

Shertok made this statement in a reply to several questions cabled to him by the Sunday Express. Another question put to him was “who would maintain order in Palestine in the absence of the British?” To this Shertok answered:

“I do not necessarily accept the underlying assumption that the British are intending to evacuate Palestine militarily. But assuming that they did, then the Jews would be quite ready to maintain order inside Palestine with the assistance of such Arabs as may be willing to cooperate.”

To the question as to why Jews are fleeing from Slav countries governed by laments friendly to them, Shertok replied that these well-intentioned governments are unable to prevent the murder of Jews.

The London newspaper also wanted to know his opinion of “why leading American Jews are organizing emigration to Palestine, while the United States is prepared to admit only a few thousand Jewish refugees.” Shertok’s reply was: “Because these leaders believe that only in Palestine can the Jewish refugees find a permanently secure come without creating evil anti-Semitism from which they are trying to escape.”

The Manchester Guardian today reports that leaders of British Jewry are discussing the reorganization of the Jewish Agency by reconstituting the non-Zionist action.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency learns that no formal discussions to this effect save yet been initiated among the organizations concerned. The Board of Deputies of British Jews, which is the body in Britain authorized to designate the non-Zionist section of the Agency, intends to wait until the forthcoming World Zionist Congress to discuss the matter with the Agency executive. The Anglo-Jewish Association has similar plans.