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1,000 Volunteer for Palestine Service; State Deft. Days No Passports Will Be Issued

March 31, 1948
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More than 1,000 persons, mostly World War II veterans, have volunteered for service in the “George Washington Legion” to fight in Palestine, the American League for a Free Palestine, which is organizing the recruitment campaign in this country, announced last night. The State Department today stated that passports would not be issued to Americans desiring to fight in Palestine.

Major Samuel Weiser, of England, founder of the Hebrew Legion in his own country, is now in the U.S. to help organize a force of 10,000 volunteers to aid the Jews in Palestine, a League statement said. Weiser told a press conference here he hoped to have a militia of 20,000 men ready to enter Palestine in May. Recruitment campaigns, he disclosed, are now being conducted in England, France and South Africa, as well as in the U.S.

Herbert M.C. Walker, a veteran pilot, said the League has “P-51s, P-38s and P-63s-we already have enough pilots for those planes on hand, hut we’d like to hear from all pilots who’d care to volunteer–just to keep them handy.” Major Weiser and Barney Ross are planning to visit Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles to spur enlistments.

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