Britain Keeping Withdrawal From Palestine Secret

Wanganui Chronicle, 17 January 1948, Page 5

Britain Keeping Withdrawal From Palestine Secret

FEAR OF BLOODSHED IF DATES WERE MADE KNOWN

Received 6.40 p.m. Britain’s time-table for with placed under lock and key in Ui Sir Alexander Cadogan, British delegate to the United Nations, showed the schedule to the Palestine Commission and ten specially selected United Nations Secretariat members last night. The dates for the withdrawal are being kept strictly secret, because British officials and United Nation's diplomats consider disclosure to the Arabs or to the Jews would increase bloodshed in Palestine by giving advance notice of places open to attack. Sir Alexander offered each commission member a copy of the timetable. but each refused to take it. deciding to accept one copy onlv and place it in a strong-box. American diplomats at home and abroad were told today that the United States policy- is -to leave to the United Nations the problem of enforcing the Palestine partition order. This was riled by State Department officials when asked for comment on an Arab League announcement in Cairo that the League is advising Arab States to move troops to Palestine as soon as Britain withdraws. Vicente Francisco, the Philippines member of the Palestine Partition Commission, gave notice today of a resolution that the commission request the Security Council immediately to establish an international military force to maintain order in Palestine. Francisco presented the proposal at a closed meeting of the commission.

NEW YORK. Jan. 15 (drawing from Palestine has been nited Nations headquarters.