All Jewish organizations in France are pressing the government not to readmit the 4,500 Jewish refugees being returned to France from Palestine on three British deportation ships, a Jewish Telegraphic Agency correspondent was informed here today by a three-man delegation which has been sent to Nice to await the expected arrival of the deportees at the near-by port of Ville Franche.
The delegation represents the Federation of Jewish Societies of France and the Associacion Ancien Combattants Juif, Jewish war veterans. It is headed by a veteran of the resistance who would identify himself only by his underground pseudonym of “Rony.” He said that the powerful Committee of National Liberation would protest any attempt to force the refugees to leave the transports.
The port authorities at Ville Franche, which is about 200 miles from Cette, from where the Exodus sailed on July 11, had no information concerning the transports, which were scheduled to arrive late tonight or tomorrow. They said that they had been informed by Paris only that the deportation vessels might come there. The Nice prefect said that he had no word concerning the ships, although in the ordinary course of events he would be informed a day in advance of the ships’ arrival.
Rony expressed the opinion that the ships are idling at sea while awaiting orders where to put in, which will depend on current Franco-British negotiations.
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.
