The White House today declined to make any comment on reports inspired by the British Foreign Office which are designed to forestall any possible American loan to Israel.
At the same time, Secretary of State Marshall announced today at his weekly press conference that Maj.-Gen. John H. Hilldring, appointed several weeks ago as Special Assistant to the Secretary of State on Palestine Affairs, will be unable to accept the post for reasons of ill health. Marshall said that he did not know whether the post would be filled by someone else or allowed to lapse.
The Secretary of State said that he knew nothing about a statement made yesterday by President Truman to Dr. Chaim Weizmann with respect to an American loan for Israel. He declined to answer a question as to whether the discussions in London between U.S. Ambassador Lewis Douglas and British Government officials point the way to a joint Anglo-American approach to the Palestine problem and also avoided replying to a question if there is any chance for early settlement of the reported differences between the United States and Britain over Palestine.
Secretary Marshall was asked about the attitude of this government to Britain’s reported intention of continuing aid to Arab countries. He said that he could not comment on this question until the State Department has had time to study the report received from the U.S. Embassy in London. He emphasized that the U.S. Government is still waiting for a decision by the U.K. Security Council before revealing its intentions regarding the lifting of the arms embargo.
At a press conference today, President Truman’s press secretary Charles G. Ross was asked whether the President or the State Department has received any formal “representations” from the British Government objecting to the granting of an American loan to Israel. He said he know of no such representations, adding that Dr. Chaim Weizmann presented an accurate picture of the loan talks at his press conference here yesterday.
Irritation is felt in certain circles here over the fact that the Foreign office termed as “ill-timed” the Truman-Weizmann talks of $100,000,000 U.S. loan and also at the Foreign Office’s emphasis that Britain views “with alarm” the news that President Truman is ready to approve such a loan for the Jewish state.
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