Exclusive in Michigan—Dr. Weizmann's Autobiography

Israeli President Arrives in U.

Final Phase in Struggle for Creation of Jewish
State and the Partition Decision of the UN

As a distinguished scientist as well as Zionist leader, Chaim
Weizmann saw early that it would be science—new products,
new uses, new technologies—which would make large-scale settle-
ment possible in Palestine. It is this phase of his work for the
Jewish National Home—and the final decision to establish it—that
be discusses here:

I had attached great value to
Akaba and the region about it.
At present it looks like a forbid-.
ding desert, but with little
imagination it becomes quite clear
that Akaba is the gate to the In-
dian Ocean and - constitutes a
By CHAIM WEIZMANN
much shorter route from Pales-
President of Israel
tine to the Far East than via Port
Said and the Suez Canal. After
CHAPTER XI—Science and Zionism
The reader has been aware in what an organic fashion consultation with friends I de-
cided to go to Washington to see
my Zionist and scientific interests have been interwoven President Truman and put the
from my earliest years. The question of oil, for instance, whole case before him.

which hovers over the Zionist problem, as it does, indeed,
over the entire world problem, is a scientific one. It is part
of the general question of raw materials, which has been
a preoccupation with me for decades, 'both as a scientist and
a Zionist. It had always been my view that Palestine could
be made a center of the new scientific development which
would get the world past the conflict arising from the mon-
opolistic position of oil. The program is still in its initial stages,
but enough has been done in Philadelphia, London and
Rehovoth to indicate the lines of research on which we should
move at present.

Received by Truman

On the morning of 'Wednesday,
Nov. 19, I was received by the
President with the utmost cordi-
ality. I spoke first of the Negeb as
a whole, which I believe is des-
tined to become an important
part of the Jewish State. The
northern part, running from Gaza
to Asluj or Beersheba, is beauti-
ful country. It needs water, of
course, which can either be
Another piece of work which
brought from the north, as pro-
has been occupying our attention brace not only organic chemistry jected in the Lowdermilk scheme,
leads to the production of cheap but physical chemistry and other or provided locally by desalting
but digestible and valuable food- branches on a larger and more the brackish water which is
stuffs. It may be briefly described important scale. It will be the found in abundance in these
as the attempt to upgrade mate- business of those charged with parts. We are, in fact, engaged
rials which are used as cattle the guidance of the Weizmann in our Rehovoth Institute in ex-
food, converting them into human Institute not merely to imitate periments on the second alterna-
food. The materials are peanuts, work which is going on in other tive, and have succeeded in pro-
soya beans and similar substanc- places, but to concentrate on ducing drinking water at an eco-
es. This product has been tested problems which are peculiarly nomic price; the question of
in many hospitals as nutrition for Middle Eastern or Palestinian, larger quantities for irrigation
—International Photo
patients, and for people with ul- like the introduction of new var- still needs study. The settlements
cerated stomachs, and it has ieties of plants and the exploita- which are already receiving wat-
The first elected President of the State of Israel, DR. CHAIM
proved very beneficial. It is, tion of resources in the country. er from a pipeline are showing WEIZMANN, is shown here with Mrs. Weizmann upon their arrival
moreover, cheaply produced, and It is a fascinating problem to the remarkable results.
in this country for the annual dinner of the Weizmann Institute of
is within reach of the poorest tackling of which I look forward
I then spoke of Akaba. Akaba
populations, such as the coolies with great eagerness, even though is at present a useless bay. It Science, Saturday night, April 23, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New
York.
of India or China. It is entirely of personally, I can only listen and needs to be dredged,
deepened
Next week, Dr. Weizmann will confer with President Truman
a vegetable nature, is highly nu- chime in occasionally. Owing both and made a waterway cap-
tritive, and without containing .a to my age and eyesight disability, ab_t^ of accommodating ships 'of in Washington on vital issues affecting Israel,
particle of meat has a meaty I cannot take part in the actuet i sizable dimensions. I
Upon his arrival, President Weizmann was greeted at the airport
pleaded fur-
taste. It should be of a particular performance.
by
Ambassador
Ray Atherton who welcomed him in his capacity
ther with the President that if
benefit to those Eastern countries
The _PCeision
the Egyptians choose to be hos- as personal representative of President Truman and the State Depart-
in which meat is either too expen-
The final .r:iase in the struggle tile to the Jewish State, they can ment; Mayor William O'Dwyer; Henry Morgenthau, Jr.; Eliahu Elath,
sive or is prohibited for religious for the establishment of the Jew- close navigation to us through the
Ambassador of Israel to the United States; Arthur Laurie, Consul
reasons.
ish state may be said to have Suez Canal when this becomes General of Israel in New York, Dr. Nahum Goldmann, acting chairman
The Siell7 Institute
begun with Britain's decision in their property, as it will in a few of the American section of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, and
A third hi•nch of
1947 to refer the whole problem years. The Iraqis, too, can make
Judge Morris Rothenberg, a national chairman of the UJA,
which has occupied our attention of Palestine to the United Na-
is a process for converting the tions. By that time the Anglo- it difficult for us to pass through
Included in Dr. Weizmann's party were Mrs. Weizmann; their
the Persian Gulf. Thus we might
crude residues obtained after the American Commission and the
son,
Benjamin; the President's Aide de Camp, Major David Arnon;
be cut off entirely from the Or-
distillation of oil into aromatic London Conference on Palestine
ient. We could meet such an Dr. Samuel Zondek, his personal physician; Dr. David Bergmann,
substances like benzine, toluene, of January, 1947, had been re-
scientific director of the Weizmann Institute in Rehovoth; and other
xylene, napthalene and certain vealed as time-saving devices. The eventuality by building our own aides, including Yigal Kimche, his personal secretary.
canal
from
Haifa
to
Tel
Aviv
to
gaseous substances like butylene, same spirit motivated, I believe,
isobutylene, and so on. Our pur- the resort to the U. N. It was not Akaba. The project has a great
pose was to create reserves of in Mr. Bevin's plans that the U. N. many attractive possibilities, and ish State. Shortly after, Mr. possible, but in any case not later
toluene, for we remembered our should express itself in favor of the mere fact that such a thing Shertok entered but before the than Aug. 1, 1948 . . Independent
sad experiences in the last war, the creation of a Jewish state, could be done would probably subject was broached, the Ameri- Arab and Jewish states, .and the
when we ran out of toluene, the which it did, in its historic de- serve as a deterrent against clos- can delegate was called to the specific international regime for
ing the road to India for the telephone. At the other end of the City of Jerusalem .. shall
basis of TNT.
cision of Nov. 29, 1947.
Jews. I was extremenly happy the wire was the President of the come into existence in Palestine
The building and organization
There were many tense mo-
Of the Sieff Institute was, even ments preceding the final deci- to find that the President read United States, telling him that two months after the evacuation
for Palestine, a unique case of sion. There was, for instance, the the map very quickly and very he considered the proposal to of the armed forces of the Man-
pioneering.. When, during the actual territorial division, When clearly. He promised me that he keep Akaba within the. Jewish datory Power has lbeen corn,.
vvar, we undertook to manufac- this was discussed some of the would communicate at once with State a reasonable one. Obvious- pleted, but in any case no later -
American delegation at Lake ly the President had been as good than Oct. 1, 1948."
ture certain drugs which till then American delegates felt that the the
Success.
as his word and in a few short
had been a monopoly of the Ger- Jews were getting too large a
. Next week, Chaim Weizmann,
The UN Decision
hours had given the necessary "President of Israel, will - discuss
mans, we ladked both apparatus slice of Palestine, and that the
At New York, about three instructions to the American del-
and raw material. The former Arabs might legitimately raise o'clock
the challange to the new nation.
in the afternoon of the egation.
we had to improvise, the latter to objections. It was proposed to
This is a serialization of parts of
same day, Ambassador Herschel
The
decision
opened
the
way
to
"Trial and Error" by Chaim Weizmann,
manufacture for ourselves.
cut out from the proposed Jewish Johnson, head of the American the vote of the General Assembly published by Harper & Brothers. Copy.
There were problems of another State a considerable part of the
delegation, called in Moshe Sher- on Nov. 29, when, by a majority right 1949, by the Weizman FoUndation,
kind. When the institute was Negeb,
taking the port of Akaba tok of the Jewish Agency in or- of 33 to 13, the United Nations
built, on the premises of the ex- away from us. Ever since the der to advise him of the decision
declared: "The Mandate for Pal- 20—THE JEWISH NEWS
perimental station, it looked at time of the Balfour Declaration
to exclude Akaba from the Jew- estine shall terminate as soon as
Friday, April 22, 1949
first as if we were going to sink
in a sea of sand. There was not
p roduced by NORMAN an SOL NOD EL
a tree or a blade of grass to adorn
LIVES OF OUR TIMES
tett by NiARC
ISRAELI CHIEF JUSTICE SMOIRA
RuTNER
the vast courtyard. I therefore
set out to plant trees and lay out
/HE FIRST CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE
WHEN THE FIRST WORLD WAR BE-
GRADUALLY THE YISHUV BEGAN
lawns. Colors, flowers and creep-
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF
GAN HE WAS .CONSCRIPTED AND SAW
TO BE AWARE OF MS BRILLIANT
ers began to appear very soon,
ISRAEL
LEGAL ABILITIES. WITHIN SHORT
'ACTIVE MILITARY SERVICE WITH THE
for we have plenty of water and
GERMAN ARMY. •ta
TIME HE BECAME LEGAL ADVISOR
v ka

the soil is light and responds to
good treatment. After two or
three years of care, the whole
was transformed into a garden
which delights the eye. Every
visitor and worker feels the ef-
feet.
The Scientific Center
The Sieff Institute has gradu-
ally won a good name for itself,

.

'"'"?.

both in the scientific and the Jew-
ish world, during the thirteen
years of its existence. I believe
we haye done good practical
work. The name of Rehovoth is
familiar to every research chem-
ist in England and the United
States, and we receive quite a
few applications from scientists
who wish to come and work with

US.

The Institute proved to be only
a beginning. On the occasion of
my seventieth birthday a group
of my American 'friends conceiv-
ed a more ambitious project, a

scientific center which would em-.

E LI

CHI EF r
JOS 1#1
5 611010

TO THE HISTADRLIT AND ALSO CON-

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DUCTED LECTURES FOR LAW STUDENT

k >i
-tor

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SCION OF AN OLD HASSIDIC FAMILY, HE WAS
BORN IN GERMANY WHERE HE RECEIVED
AN INTENSIVE LEGAL TRAINING AT
SEVERAL LEADING UNIVERSITIES.

SOON AFTER THE WAR ENDED,HE
WENT TO JERUSALEM TO. ES-
TABLISH PERMANENT RESIDENCE •
HE WAS DETERMINED TO CON-
TRIBUTE HIS LEGAL TALENTS TO
THE WELFARE OF THE SMALL JEWISH
COMMUNITY THEN IN PALESTINE, . -

. HE WAS NAMED CHAIRMAN OF THE
; COURT OF HONOR OF THE WORLD ZION-
, 1ST CONGRESS AT THE AGE OF 49. HE HAS
' PUBLISHED SEVERAL IMPORTANT LEGAL
• WORKS.
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FOR TEN YEARS HE WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE

LAWYERS ASSOCIATION OF PALESTINE AND
SERVED AS ITS SPOKESMAN BEFORE THE
PEEL COMMISSION INVESTIGATING CON.
DITIONS IN PALESTINE IN I936.

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WHEN ISRAEL WAS PROCLAIMED,THERE WAS ONE
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NE IS DEVOTED TO MUSIC AND OWNS A LARGE
COLLECTION OF RECORDS. HE ALSO PATRONIZES
THE THEATRE AND MOVIES.

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