Ext 6116/46(S) 'Secret Weekly Political Intelligence Summaries, nos 356-416, August 1946-November 1947' [‎274r] (557/978)

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talk, while comparing the firmness of the
United States with a hesitancy—attributed
to weakness—on the part of Great Britain.
The Soviet Government are seen to be aim
ing at the creation of a Balkan federation,
including Roumania, Yugoslavia, Bul
garia, Albania and perhaps Transylvania
f fd Macedonia. An immediate tactical
aim of the Kremlin, it is plainly stated,
is to undermine the Truman policy of aid
for Greece and Turkey—described as the
only obstacle to Soviet domination of
Europe—by spreading the idea that the
President’s policy is responsible for
increased international tension.
On 18th June, after a deputy had
reported in most appreciative terms on the
Turkish parliamentary visit to the United
Kingdom, the Grand National Assembly
approved with unanimous applause a pro
posal of the President that the House of
Commons should be invited to send a dele
gation to Turkey.
THE MIDDLE EAST
Egypt
The French Government has been kept
fully informed of the intentions of His
Majesty’s Government with regard to the
Fawziah, which is to land supplies in
Tripoli (see last week’s Summary). As
notice of the visit was given in the
customary form and with due previous
warning (which was not the case when the
vessel went to Tunis) no objection is being
made to it. Although press references to
the Fawziah’s trip have been much
moderated or have ceased altogether, the
Cairo police received a warning on the
18th June from a so-called “ Committee
of Egyptian Nationalists ” saying they had
“ declared war on all French interests ”
as a reprisal for the Fawziah incident.
Reports that the Egyptian note to the
Security Council had been submitted were
published in the Ahram and the Journal
d'Egypte on the 18th June, but were
promptly denied by the Prime Minister in
the Sa’adist paper the Assas. Nokrashy
is reported to have given no reply when
questioned later by journalists about a
statement of Mamduh Riaz that the Egyp
tian delegation would leave between the
25th and 27th June; the latest news is con
tained in press reports that the Cabinet
approved the terms of the Egyptian appeal
on the 22nd June.
Palestine
The Arab boycott of the Special Com
mittee is being maintained, and is sup
ported by the Arabic press who take the
line that national discipline must be pre
served and, accordingly, have sent no
representatives to the Committee’s
meetings. The strike ordered by the Arab
Higher Commitee for the 16th June took
place without incident.
Mr. Shertok opened the Zionist case in
open session on the 17th June by stressing
that he proposed to give a factual intro
duction to the studies of the Committee
from the point of view of the Jewish
Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , and that that could not be
regarded as the opening of the Jewish
Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. case. He did, however, refer to
the restriction on Jewish purchase of land,
and claimed that Jewish settlement had
not resulted in Arabs becoming landless.
He protested against the reversal of policy
contained in the provisions of the 1939
White Paper, gave a short account of
Jewish enterprise and spoke of the urge of
immigrants towards the soil, complaining
that “ the Jews were almost completely
disregarded in the Palestine Government’s
distribution of State lands for cultivation.”
The Vaad Leumi have decided to
identify their political claims with those
of the Jewish Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , but will send their
own representatives to appear before the
Committee.
Three Jews were sentenced to death on
the 16th June for participation in the
attack on Acre prison on the 4th May.
Two others, found to be under 18 years of
age, were sentenced to long terms of
imprisonment. The sentences have not yet
been confirmed by the General Officer Com
manding.
An appeal from the relatives of the
three condemned to death was addressed
to the Chairman of the Special Committee,
and resulted in a cable to the Secretary-
General of the United Nations in which a
majority of the Committee expressed con
cern at the ” possible unfavourable reper
cussions ’ the execution might have on the
Committee’s task, and made a reference to
the fact that the sentence was pronounced
on the day of their arrival in Palestine.