Zionist Paper Accused of Distorting JTA Facts

The statement contained in the latest issue of the New Palestine, official organ of the Zionist Organization of America, that Jacob Landau, managing director of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, has offered to submit the J.T.A. to “fullest censorship” of the Histadruth-controlled Executive of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, was termed yesterday by Mr. Landau as libelous and an unmitigated falsehood.

“At the request of Mr. Ben-Gurion, Histadruth member of the Executive,” Mr. Landau declared, “I submitted proposals to the Executive when I was in Palestine the early part of December. These proposals contained not a single word about censorship, nor was any such reference made in the conferences I had with Mr. Ben-Gurion and Mr. Shertok. Quite the contrary, during these conferences, which were always held in the presence of witnesses, I strenuously objected to submitting the J.T.A. to censorship or control.

SOUGHT TO AVOID CLASH ON NEWS

“Also, when I met with the entire Executive and read to them my written proposals, I did not say a single word to indicate that I would subject the J.T.A. to control. In the proposals I made to the Executive,” Mr. Landau declared, “I submitted written proposals to the Executive when I was in Palestine the early part of December. These proposals contained not a single word about censorship, nor was any such reference made in the conferences I had with Mr. Ben-Gurion and Mr. Shertok. Quite the contrary, during these conferences, which were always held in the presence of witnesses, I strenuously objected to submitting the J.T.A. to censorship or control.