Jewish spokesmen today protested a statement by (##)gadier V.T.R. Ford, regional food controller at Nottingham, attributing black market activities in London to Jews. The Board of Deputies of British Jews immedi(##)ly sent a strong note to Food Minister John Strachey and announced that the matter (##)ild be brought up in Commons, Strachey refused to comment until he had seen the (##)t of the Ford statement.
Ford’s remarks were made yesterday to a group of German journalists touring (##) country. Describing the food control situation locally, he was quoted as saying : (##) have no large-scale black market activities in the East Midlands region. They (##) mostly in London and chiefly committed by Jews. The big profiteers do not care (##) hoots about imprisonment or fines and they pay huge amounts to barristers. They (##)ll pay any amount, these Jews.”
Shortly after the statement appeared in all the morning newspapers in London, (##)rd issued a denial. Asserting that he had told the Germans that black market of(##)nses were mainly confined to large cities, the official added : “I did say in the (##)urse of discussion that some offenses had been attributed to the very low type of (##)ws.” He also said that he had told this to the correspondents “in confidence” and (##)at the “meeting was supposed to be private.”
A spokesman for the Board of Deputies said that the “Jewish community will be properly indignant at the allegation which is as false as all general accusations. (##)ere is no evidence that the Jewish community is any more guilty than any other sec(##)on of the public.” Although the London newspapers devoted considerable space to (##)rd’s charges, with but one exception, the Daily Express, they ignored the later developments including the Deputies’ protest.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
