22 MAY 1947, Page 16

JEWISH CAMPS

Sin,—Having spent six months last year in the United States, and having followed the Palestine question in the American Press, I was very much distressed over Jewish propaganda against the Government of Palestine. I felt strongly that the statements made in the propaganda for the cultiva- tion of American opinion had been unfair and incorrect. So I decided to ask—and ultimately obtained—permission to visit the Jewish camps in Palestine and Cyprus in order to see the actual conditions there. I was on the quay in Haifa for many hours on the morning that a ship arrived with 2,700 illegal immigrants. These ships are boarded out at sea by the British marines and escorted into the bay. The immigrants usually resist. alley attack the British with broken bottles and other implements ; unfor- tunately, force often is required to quiet them. The most common method is the use of tear gas. Sometimes the British have to fire in self-defence, with some fatal results. On the Hagana,' the boat that I met, there were two men killed, and some wounded, when the marines were obliged to fire. Later I was permitted to go on board the Hagana ' and investi- gate. The boat was certainly in a fikii'y condition, but that is entirely the fault of the immigrants. There was no reason why all the empty tins and paper that strewed the decks could not have been swept up and thrown overboard. The next day I boardcid a ship which was taking over 400 immigrants to Cyprus. I was permitted to mix freely with the immigrants on board and to talk with them. I spent nearly two days m Cyprus, having been given a free permit to visit all the camps without any surveillance. The camps were large, beautifully situated in the country, and clean and well kept. The housing accommodation in tents and iron buildings was adequate, and even comfortable. The immigrants themselves, without exception, it seemed to me, looked healthy, well-fed and in good condition. I did not see a single thin, emaciated individual. I went into the kitchens to see the food being prepared, and ate some of the bread. I should say there is no reasonable ground of complaint about the food at all. Indeed, no complaints were made to me, except concern- ing small things. The young men and women in the camps would make, I am sure, splendid citizens of Palestine, Syria, Lebanon or Iraq. They were strong and healthy. Everyone desired to work.

While I was at Cyprus an outbreak occurred at one of the camps ; the disturbance was unfortunately followed by a hunger strike. The cause lay in the fact that a certain number of the prisoners—about 750— expected to leave for Palestine ; when it was found that that number would not be permitted to go, they simply became desperate, and attempted to break down the gate and burn the tents. Force had to be used to quell the outbreak. I can well understand the sense of boundless desperation and disappointment which filled the hearts and minds of those within the camps. This sympathy prompts the one big criticism I have to make. It is the policy in London, not in Palestine, that has so long delayed the settlement of this terrific problem. Conditions as they are have bred, and continue to breed, despair.

On my return from Cyprus I visited the large Athlite Camp outside Haifa. The conditions are excellent ; the cleanliness, the order and the arrangement admirable. I have not a single criticism to make of all I saw there, except the one that it is a camp. Until the Government in London has reached a decision not only in regard to the Jews but also in regard to the Arabs, I fear that the camps will have to go on. However, I most strongly urge that all who have a voice in the Press and in the United Nations will plead for a quick and final decision so that this open sore may be healed. Killing, shooting police and Government officials and laying bombs on the roads for military vehicles, as is being done by a small section of the Jews in Palestine, is not a solution. I can only conclude by saying that, from all I have seen, I have unbounded admira- tion for the Palestine Police. There is no finer body of men in any country. They are doing their duty faithfully, patiently and at the con- stant risk of their lives. They deserve the respect and handsome recognition of the Government and people of Palestine.—Yours, &c.,