Exodus Refugees at Sea One Month; Steadfast in Refusal to Land As Escort Vessels Refuel

The Exodus refugees who are imprisoned board three British vessels in the harbor here today marked the completion of one South at sea. But despite the fact that they will have been at anchor in the harbor ? two weeks tomorrow, they still refuse to even discuss disembarkation in France.

Meanwhile, rumors circulating here say that the warships which accompanied the convoy from Haifa to this port will refuel here during the early part of the week in separation for departure of the entire fleet for an unknown destination. Despite a ## tension between the French and British over the situation, British sources have still maintain that they do not know when the convoy will leave French waters.

The British continued to hint that the ships will not sail before the French ## a final delegation to appeal to the refugees to disembark. A French report here ## that troops aboard the three ships have been granted 48-hour leaves for the first time since they arrived here.

A British attempt to get the refugees aboard the three ships to disembark on the pretext of a potential measles epidemic was defeated during the week-end with the cooperation of French officials. The British, seizing an opportunity they obviously had not considered previously, demanded that the Exodus refugees disembark in view of its fact that one of the passengers was sick with measles, a highly contagious disease.

A high medical official sent from Paris to look into the matter announced that the patient and her family must disembark, but there was no need for anyone else to do ## since the girl, who had been ill before the ship arrived here, had been completely isolated. However, this morning the patient and her family refused to leave their prison ship.

Calling for a speedy solution of the "atrocious problem" of Jewish DP’s, Leon ## former Premier and veteran Socialist leader, declared in an article in "Le Populaire," organ of the French Socialist party, that the French and British must "erase ## recriminations" and consider a solution for the present and future refugee situations. He suggested that the British authorities reveal their intentions in regard to the Exodus refugees, and give them two days to consider the proposal to disembark.