ZIONISM AND PALESTINE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 17 April 1939, Page 9

ZIONISM AND PALESTINE

•To The EHilor) Sir.— In his interesting address lo the Nelson Rotary Club Mr E. Lucie-Smith incidentally stated t! at Palestine was promised to the Jews as a result of Dr Weizmann asking for it as a reward for a chemical discovery made by him during the war. Although Mr Lloyd George in his “War Memoirs’" gives this as the origin of the Balfour Declaration of November. 1917. promising Palestine as a national home for the Jews, Mr S Landman, who was private secretary to Mr N. Sokolow. the Zionist leader during the war, gave quite another account in articles in “World Jewry” in 1935 and in the London "Jewish Chronicle” of 7th February. 1936. In this latter article Mr Landman stated that in 1916 the Allies made several attempts to bring America in to the war on their side. These were all unsuccessful. He stated that. Mr James Malcolm, of the Armenian National Delegation, who was in close touch with Sir Mark Sykes, of the Imperial War Secretariat, took the initiative in convincing representatives of the British and French Governments “that the best and perhaps the only way to induce the American President to come into the war was to secure the cooperation of Zionist Jewry by promising them Palestine.” Mr Landman said Sir Mark Sykes got the War Cabinet to authorise Mr Malcolm to approach the Zionist leaders on this basis. He added: “The Zionists carried out their part and helped to bring America in, and the Balfour Declaration of 2nd November, 1917, was but the public confirmation of the verbal agreement of 1916.” According to this, Palestine was traded to the Jews in return for getting America into the war in April, 1917. Prior to this Palestine had been part of the territory traded to the Arabs in October, 1915—well ahead of the later deal—in order to get them into the war. In between times, under the Sykes-Picot treaty, Britain and France are said to have made a private deal to cut Palestine up between them. Finally, we have the version that Palestine was not traded to anybody, but given in loving kindness to Dr. Weizmann for finding a way of turning potatoes into explosives. Let us hope that in the coming war the nations will keep better tab on who is to have anything left after it is It all seems rather mixed, but Mr Landman in his articles went in great detail into what took place. He says that President Wilson attached the greatest importance to the advice of the late Mr Justice Brandeis, of the United States Supreme Court, and a leading Zionist. As soon as things were fixed a secret message was sent in cipher through the British Foreign Office telling Judge Brendeis the Jews could have Palestine on delivering the goods. Prior to these revelations it was supposed that America came into the war on high moral grounds to "make the world safe for Democracy.” According to Mr Landman's version. Uncle Sam was roped in on other grounds altogether.—l am. etc., PUZZLED.