Sett,—Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr's article will presumably surprise many in this
country who believed that American criticism was derived solely from Jewish political and financial influence. It appears that we have been guilty of a rather crass simplification of this aspect of the problem. As it is difficult to doubt either the perception or sincerity of this distin- guished and friendly American, perhaps we may now take stock before an already shocking situation in Palestine depreciates further. The position today is that, within roughly twelve months of a Socialist Govern- ment coming to power, the political temperature of Palestine has reached flash-point and there is immediate danger of explosion. The White Paper policy of 1939, which was so sternly condemned by Mr. Churchill, the late Lloyd George and Mr. Amery as well as by many Labour-Party leaders (and finally declared unlawful by the Permanent Mandates Com- mission of the League of Nations), remains in force. There is unparalleled bitterness in the hearts of the entire Jewish population of Palestine— whom today we ask to undertake police duties as private citizens against the secret terrorist organisations—and we have lost, temporarily at least, the co-operation of the Jewish Agency. The vigour which the administra- tion is now showing, rightly if belatedly in the history of violence in Palestine, is interpreted for the Jewish people by utterances of naked anti-Semitism in high places.
I have some sympathy for a Government which inherited a deplorable situation from an earlier one (though I absolve the Churchill administra- tion, which I believe would have restored the position) but the fact remains that it has grown much worse in an incredibly short time. In spite of this fact, there has been the remarkable Government statement that " no country in the world has been a better or more consistent friend of the Jewish people," which I regard as psychologically revealing. The very plaintiveness of such a statement explains all too clearly why every indi- vidual reaction of violence, and even friendly American criticism, is " rationalised" to the point where it becomes part of a conspiracy against us. Obviously if we are blameless everybody who differs from us must be at fault, and it is not difficult to trace the source of the trouble. Thus already we are part of the way towards a policy of official anti-Semitism. Dr. Niebuhr knows, I think, the character of the British people sufficiently well, and I need not make the excuse that we have walked in this direction blindly. British justice and fair play are realities which need no further advertisement. I merely suggest to him that it is not only certain Jewish survivors from the European holocaust who are temporarily unbalanced.—
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