The New York Times · 29 December 1946

CP-1946-028

TRUCE IN PALESTINE URGED BY BALDWIN

Plea to Terror Group Asks Stay Till Truman Gets His Report on Recent Survey

By GENE CURRIVAN, Special to The New York Times

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Transcribed from the clipping

JERUSALEM, Dec. 28—Representative Joseph Clark Baldwin, Republican, of New York, and administrative chairman of the Political Action Committee for Palestine, addressed a message today to the head of Irgun Zvai Leumi asking that terrorism be held in abeyance while he informed President Truman and the American people of Zionist aims.

The message was directed to Menahem Beigen, commander of this underground organization, through The Palestine Post, leading English-language newspaper of the country. Mr Baldwin was a recent visitor here. In his note to The Post publisher, Mr. Baldwin asked that his message be transmitted to Mr. Beigen “with whom I conferred during my recent visit to Palestine.”

After giving the message, he concluded with one to the people of Palestine, and to Zionists in particular.

It read: Preparing His Report “I wish to express my utmost thanks to Jews and Arabs and to British groups in Palestine for their hospitality and to make it clear to all concerned that the Political Action Committee for Palestine, its founder, Rabbi Baruch Korff, and myself, have no affiliation or contacts with Mr. Peter Bergson nor any of his groups.” [Peter H.

Bergson is chairman of the Hebrew Committee of National Liberation.] Mr. Baldwin ended his message to the Palestine people with the statement that “we firmly believe that the Jewish people are indivisible.” His message to Mr.

Beigen follows: “I am now in the midst of preparing my report to the President and the Congress of the United States and to the Political Action Committee for Palestine of which I am administrative chairman.

“I appeal to you to halt operations in the Holy Land at least until I have had an opportunity to acquaint the American Government and the American people with your fight and the fight of Jewry at large. “I know it is a difficult decision.

Please bear with me and remember my personal assurance to you that I will do everything in my power to present your point of view and that of other Jewish leaders in Palestine in an effort to expedite action and avoid further bloodshed. Please confirm receipt of this message and any action you plan to take.”

How this transcription was made

Transcribed from the slide scan by a reader working off magnified crops, not by optical character recognition. The newspaper is printed on the clipping twice: in a running head across the top, “THE NEW YORK TIMES, S—”, where the clipping’s right edge cuts the weekday after its first letter, and in the credit line “Special to The New York Times” under the byline. The date is derived from the printed dateline, “JERUSALEM, Dec. 28”; 29 December 1946 was a Sunday, which is consistent with the surviving S. The year is not printed and is fixed by content — Truman as President, the Irgun under Begin, the Zionist Congress at Basle. The clipping is a page fragment carrying at least four separate stories; only the Baldwin message is transcribed. The paper spells Menachem Begin as “Menahem Beigen” throughout and that spelling is kept.

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