Goldmann Complains About Press ‘leaks’ on Confidential Reports to Mrs. Meir

Dr. Nahum Goldmann left Israel today angered by what he said were leaks to the press of confidential reports he made to Premier Golda Meir. Goldmann denied a report that appeared in the newspaper Maariv yesterday that he had intimated to Israeli government leaders that Russia would permit large scale Jewish emigration if Israel withdrew from the occupied Arab territories, Dr. Goldmann said that he no longer bothers to deny reports that present his views and activities in a “distorted manner” but that he felt it was necessary to deny this one. “Whatever I said was my own assumption and I did not cite any Russian source or authority,” he declared. “What I said was a personal evaluation. I have had hints that if there was peace in the Middle East there will be increased immigration from Russia. I never linked the question of immigration from Russia with withdrawal from the occupied territories and I have always stressed that the slogan ‘territories for immigrants’ is absurd.” Dr. Goldmann said he has requested Foreign Minister Abba Eban to cancel the diplomatic passport he holds. “I do not wish to impose another problem on Mr. Eban who even without this is under a heavy burden of problems.”

CORRECTION

Because of a transmission error, the report in the JTA Bulletin of Feb. 1 from Paris on France’s UJA campaign listed the current target of the campaign as “over $160 million.” The figure should have read “over $16 million.”