The little reaction received so far at the White House to the inquiry committee report on Palestine has been “highly favorable in the main,” the President’s press secretary, Charles G. Ross, said today in response to questions. It has come from Jewish organizations and individual Jews who, with the President, are gratified at the recommendation for immediate entry of the 100,000 Jews into Palestine, he added.
Ross said that he did not know whether the President is contemplating a message to Congress recommending relaxation of the immigration laws to permit increased entry of Jews into the United States.
Members of Congress who would comment on the recommendations of the inquiry committee today expressed gratification at the portion of the committee’s report which urges the immediate admission of 100,000 Jews to Palestine. Senator Robert Wagner of New York, however, expressed his “grievous disappointment” at the committee’s long-range recommendations as to the political future of Palestine. Similar views were expressed by Senator James M. Mead of New York who declared: “I am led to believe at the first glance at the report that Palestine may remain a British colonial possession for a prolonged period of time.”
Representative John W. McCormack of Massachusetts, House majority leader, criticized the committee for having bypassed a permanent solution of the Palestine problem. Senator Owen Brewater of Maine said that the report represents “a naive and unholy alliance of Machiavelli and Pollyanna,” since it only provides for 100,000 Jews to be rescued and leaves a million Jews in Europe to starve, “although Palestine can easily provide them with a livelihood in accordance with the pledge of all the nations and the repeatedly voiced demands of the Congress of the United States.”
Senator Style Bridges of New Hampshire expressed the hope that the 100,000 Jews will be admitted to Palestine as rapidly as possible. Senator James W. Huffman of Ohio was glad to see that Britain “has finally come around” to what has long been the stand of the U.S. Government.
Representative Sol Bloom of New York, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed himself as highly encouraged by the recommendation for immigration of 100,000 Jewish survivors in Europe and for abrogation of the White Paper.
Representative Augustus Bennett of New York said that he was “very much disappointed” in the report, because it presents no real solution to the problem of the homeless Jews of Europe, fails to recognize Palestine as the Jewish Homeland or to suggest a long-range solution of the Palestine question.
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