Laski Disavows Criticism of J.t.a.

Neville Laski, president of the British Board of Jewish Deputies, today disassociated himself from an official publicity service’s report which created the false impression that he had criticized the Jewish Telegraphic Agency for a story in connection with the recently concluded world Zionist congress.

Mr. Laski, who is co-chairman of the Jewish Agency Council which today ended its fourth session here, announced to the council that the statement attributed to him had been made in his capacity as chairman. He explained that he had made the statement because he had been requested to do so, but that it did not represent his own opinion.

The statement referred to called the attention of the Jewish Agency Council to reports by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency of resolutions adopted by the political committee in its plenary session at the congress. It characterized these reports, according to the official publicity service, as containing “countless digressions from the text of the resolution as adopted by the congress” and as being “premature and unauthorized.”

Mr. Laski, after receiving a statement from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in which it was pointed out that the complaint was absolutely unfounded and that it is customary to report important resolutions when they had been adopted by parliamentary committees, made a statement on the matter before the Agency Council. He declared that he took exception to the false impression this report created.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency also submitted proof that the official publicity service had committed the exact blunder, attributed to the former by publishing a story on the resolutions in the Warsaw press on Tuesday morning when the resolution was not adopted until Tuesday afternoon.

The official agency was charged with having falsified the reports that Laski said the Jewish Telegraphic Agency story contained “countless digressions.” This, it was stated, was entirely invented.