American Zionist Emergency Council Discusses Truman’s Statemet on Palestine

President Truman’s recent statement with regard to Palestine and its implications were discussed at a session of the American Zionist Emergency Council held here yesterday, it was announced today by the Council.

The majority of the members of the Council were of the opinion that the President’s fear that 500,000 American soldiers may be needed to prevent Arab disturbances in Palestine if the country is proclaimed a Jewish State, was due to false notions maintaind in Washington on the strength of the Arabs and on American interests in the Near East. The Council decided to take urgent measures to present the situation in the proper light. A special committee of experts was named to deal with the question of Zionist political action in the United States.

(The New York Times in a cable from Paris today reports that Emir Abdul Illah, Regent of Iraq, who is en route home from the United States, has voiced his country’s opposition to increased Jewish immigration to Palestine. In a statement to the Times’ correspondent, the regent said; “No Arab will agree with any suggestion for an increase in the Jewish population of Palestine. The number already there is sufficient. All Arab nations must object in principle and I believe that our Government will protest to the United Nations against any such moves.”)

The meeting also considered a cabled request from the World Zionist Executive that it separate the activities of the Zionist Emergency Council from those of the office of the Jewish Agency in Washington so that the Council would not interfere with the work of the Washington office of the Agency. The request was opposed by Dr. Abba Hillel Silver, president of the Council, and other members of the Council. It was pointed out that American Zionist representatives alone must represent Zionist interests vis-a-vis the U.S. Government. It was decided to cable to the World Zionist Executive urging it not to undertake any steps in the direction of Washington representation until the American Zionist Council, together with the eight members who were appointed at the recent World Zionist Conference to supervise Jewish Agency activities in the United States, make definite recommendations.

Mrs. Judith Epstein, president of Hadassah, reported that Hadassah’s national board has decided to demand from the next World Zionist Congress representation in the World Zionist Executive, Such a demand was submitted to the recent World Zionist Conference in London and was rejected.