HEADING FOR PALESTINE

Chronicle (Levin), 25 July 1947, Page 5

HEADING FOR PALESTINE

Press Assn.

Two lllegal Immigrant Ships Beiiig Shadowed

By Telegraph

-Copyrighi

Received Friday> 10.40 a.m-. LONDON, July 24. It is learned that two Jewiish illegal immigrant ships carrying a total of 2000 passengefs are ih the Mediterranean he'ading for» Pdldstine, says Reuter's Jerusalem correspondent. R.A.F. planes are shadowing them. A Haganah Droadcast said the J ewish illegal ihimigf'ant ship eaH'ed "Return to Zion," carrying 400 refugees, "is making for the sliore with the Navy on her track." The Jewish Agency fexecutive ahn'ounced in Jerusalem that it had informed the British Government that far-reaching consequences would follow the iise of force to aisemOark the 4500 Jewish refugees from the President Warfield, now en route from France. Executive ofiiciais saw Mr. Ivor Thomas, but received no satisfactofy assurance about the ultimate fate of the refugees. Reuter's diplomatic correspondent says that the embarkation of illegal Jewish immigrants on the President Warfield and departure from a French port for Palestine was obtained by a ruse. The French authorities gave a clearance to the immigrants on the strength of a forged letter presented by the Jewish Child Welfare Organisation, which promised that visas would be granted. The French authorities cleared only the passengers and "not the ship, which was granted a certificate for fair weather voyages without passengers. The authorities forbade the ship to leave port. The ship cut its cables and sailed without a pilot and grounded. She was refloated and successfully reached Palestine.