Weizmann Tells Actions Group of Interviews with Passfield Before White Paper Issued

The Mandates Commission, now in session in Geneva, has been approached by Jewish spokesmen with a request to discuss the new Palestine situation not before November 17th 18th, if it decides to discuss it at all, in order to enable the Jewish Agency to submit through the usual channels a reply to the report of Sir John Simpson, it was announced by Dr. Chaim Weizmann today at the emergency meeting of the Zionist Actions Committee.

Dr. Weizmann, who resigned as president of the Jewish Agency and of the World Zionist Organization in protest against the British government’s new Palestine policy, suggested in his political address to the Actions Committee that the Jewish Agency submit a petition to the Mandates Commission asking it to discuss immediately the Palestine question in view of the developments arising from the White Paper and the Simpson report.

CONVENED TO DEAL WITH CRISIS

The Actions Committee was convened in urgent session here to deal with the

country was modernized further immigration was impossible.

Dr. Weizmann pointed out that the economic aspect of the entire situation would change if 20,000 additional Jewish families were admitted “which Passfield as an economist should appreciate.” The development scheme suggested by Simpson was further discussed, Dr. Weizmann related, adding that it was premature to discuss the matter now as he doubted whether the Jewish Agency would work in conjunction with the proposed development board.

The resigned president of the Jewish Agency also revealed that Lord Passfield had promised to forward him a copy of the White Paper as soon as it was ready but the Colonial Secretary was anxious to have it published before the opening of parliament.

At a second interview on October 15th Dr. Weizmann said he stressed the fact that the Jews should benefit from the development plan in itself together with the Arabs since the Jews utimately contribute more than others as the largest tax-payers but Lord Passfield declined to discuss the matter offhand, he asserted.

After discussing the Jewish National Fund, Lord Passfield pointed out that there cannot be an absolute ban on land purchase so long as there was no interference with the development plan, Dr. Weizmann declared. He said he left the interview with a feeling that there was something more serious in the air than Lord Passfield gave him to understand.

DOCUMENTS RECEIVED OCT. 17

The documents were received by him on the evening of October 17th while he was in consultation with Lord Reading and James de Rothschild, Dr. Weizmann said, but with the week-end imminent he pointed out that he had little time to consult people and hence sought to secure the postponement of the official publication, being also pressed to this effect from New York by Felix M. Warburg and Prof. Felix Frankfurther. But when he telephoned Lord Passfield on Sunday night regarding a postponement, Dr. Weizmann said that the Colonial Secretary told him he could do nothing as the decision had been taken to publish the document in the form submitted.

Referring to the possible discussion of the Palestine situation in the House of Commons, Dr. Weizmann analyzed the mood of the House and asked the Actions Committee to consider two possibilities, first that of the government retreating from its policy and issuing a supplementary document and secondly the government’s sticking to the White Paper.

He then announced that the Mandates Commission had been approached concerning the possibility of a Palestine discussion.

Immediately after he had concluded his explanation of the political situation and the events leading up to it, Dr. Weizmann declared that in view of the fact that he had submitted his resignation he would not participate in the further deliberations of the Committee. His declaration followed a motion by the Revisionist members, the Zionist opposition, that the two items on the agenda concerning the Zionist situation and Dr. Weizmann’s resignation be combined.

After Dr. Weizmann had left the meeting room a motion of Lazarus Barth, German Zionist leader, was adopted asking that Dr. Weizmann remain for the discussion in view of the necessity for supplementary information and explanations from him. Nevertheless at both sessions that followed Dr. Weizmann was not present.

After Dr. Weizmann’s speech, S. Kaplansky spoke on the work of the Zionist Labor Party. Professor Brodetsky and Col. Frederick Kisch of the Palestine Zionist Executive delivered supplementary addresses and Nahum Sokolow, chairman of the Zionist Executive, opened the discussion on Dr. Weizmann’s resignation.