Weizmann Denies Passfield Offered Round-table Parley with Arabs; $25,000 Raised

Dr. Chaim Weizmann, who resigned this week as president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine and as president of the World Zionist Organization as a protest against the Palestine policy announced this week by the government of Great Britain, today authorized the Jewish Telegraphic Agency to deny emphatically the rumors that Lord Passfield, British Colonial Secretary, suggested yesterday to Weizmann that a round table conference of Jews and Arabs be called, in which Weizmann allegedly declined to participate.

These rumors are entirely baseless, Dr. Weizmann said. No such suggestion was received by him, but on the contrary the Zionist executive made such a suggestion on September 19, which the government rejected.

The rumors which Dr. Weizmann denied were spread today in Poland through the official Polish Telegraphic Agency from their London correspondent. The same rumors tending to discredit the Zionists and to create an impression that they are unwilling to negotiate, were also circulated in the London press.

Twenty-five thousand dollars were raised tonight at a private meeting of Zionists which took place in the Picadilly Hotel. The meeting was addressed by Dr. Chiam Weizmann, Mr. d’Avigdor Goldsmid, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and Harry Sacher, former member of the World Zionist Executive. The speakers emphasized the importance of continuing to support the Zionist fund Keren Hayesod in order to show the determination of the Jewish people to carry on the work in Palestine.

The speakers also pointed out that the Zionists here were determined to increase within the next week the amount raised to seventy-five thousand dollars. A resolution which was adopted at the meeting protested against “the betrayal of promises given to the Jewish people in the Balfour Declaration and the Palestine Mandate” and appealed to the Jews to strengthen the hands of the Palestine pioneers.