Morris Rothenberg, president of the Zionist Organization of America and co-chairman of the Council of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, yesterday issued a statement denying that any responsible agency in Palestine had contracted an agreement with the German government whereby the latter would increase its orange import from Palestine in return for greater exports of German goods to that country.
Mr. Rothenberg’s statement was issued on the basis of an assurance forwarded to him by the Vaad Leumi, the Jewish National Council of Palestine.
His statement follows:
“Because of distorted information that appeared in the American press with regard to an alleged agreement between the Jewish orange-growers of Palestine and the German government, an inquiry was made of the Jewish National Council of Palestine, the highest authority representing the Jewish people in Palestine, which states that no exchange agreement exists.
“It had been reported that an important grower or group of growers had entered into an agreement with the German government regarding the export of oranges in exchange for German goods that would be imported in Palestine. The Jewish National Council states that a plan to that effect was worked out by an official of the German government, who obtained the aid of a minor Jewish merchant toward carrying out the scheme. But the plan was unanimously rejected by all responsible individuals and firms in Palestine as being inadvisable and contrary to the best Jewish interests.”
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.
