Appendix
473
British officers; Jews in America control "the press, the government, the motion pictures."
On September 3, 1950, Bandek spoke at the First Congregational Church in Los Angeles, of which the Reverend William F.
Fifield—founder of Spiritual Mobilization, and a friend of
Merwin K. Hart—is minister. Reverend Young, who was present,
heard Bandek say that "the decision to partition Palestine was the
result of the support to the Zionists by the Soviet Union and by
American leaders . . . seeking not the interest of Christ, but
votes." Reverend Young reported: "Gerald K. Smith sat in front
of me and applauded practically everything Mr. Bandak said.
... I heard no discussion of ways and means to help the unfortunate Christians in Bethlehem, the avowed purpose of
Bandak's organization. There was, however, a great deal said
about the Jew."
Among Bandek's friends were Arab-born journalists who, like
himself, carried on as pro-Arab propagandists. One of these was
Levon Keshishian, an Armenian whom I met in Jerusalem in
April, 1948, and who wrote a note of introduction to Emil Ghoury,
a leading henchman of the Grand Mufti, recommending me as "a
friend journalist; he is OK." Keshishian was imprisoned for the
duration of the Arab-Israel war in a jail in Amman, Jordan. When
I met him again in this country—where he is now serving as UN
correspondent for the Arab News Agency—Keshishian told me
that the charges had included espionage, but that he had later
been released without trial. On his person had been found various
letters and checks from Jews, Armenians, and others. Amman
officials had refused to accept his explanation of these, Keshishian
said. "They almost hanged me," he complained.
This man also writes regularly for Hairenik Weekly, the Boston
publication of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, filling its
columns with pro-Arab stories. He has also addressed meetings of
this organization.
Tragic indeed must be the state of those Americans who in
their legitimate concern for the welfare of Arab refugees allow
themselves to be duped by appeals of distortion, falsehood, and
bigotry inspired by Bandek, Freeman, Hart, and their like. There
is a just case for the homeless Arabs. But neither these refugees
nor efforts at a conciliatory settlement of their plight can be aided