Gov. Faubus Attacks' Party Newspaper
Israel Military Expert Spies for Reds
TEL AVIV (JTA) — Israelis
were stunned when they learned
that the country's foremost mili-
tary expert, Lt. Col. Israel Beer,
personal military adviser to
Prime Minister David Ben-
,Gurion, professor of military his-
tory and Tel Aviv University,
and keenest of military analysts
for the Israeli press, had been ar-
rested as a spy for a foreign
Communist government—presum-
ably Russia—and has confessed
to the charges.
Reports in the Israeli press
revealed that magistrate Lea
Ogen, in Tel Aviv Magistrate's
Court, heard the charge when
Beer was arraigned before her by
a member of Shin Bet, Israel's
security services. Mrs. Ogen was
visibly shaken when he was ac-
.cused of espionage and "contact
with a foreign agent with the in-
tention of injuring the State se-
curity." Her hands trembled
when, at the request of Shin
Bet, she signed an order impris-
oning Beer for 15 days for fur-
ther interrogation.
PoliCe meanwhile were com-
pleting investigation of the ac-
cused spy who is expected to
be put on trial some time next
month in Tel Aviv District
Court. Beer was reported to be
cooperating with the police
handling the investigation, not
only supplying them with all
information in his possession
but helping them to organize
the material.
If convicted Beer faces life
imprisonment. He was arrested
at 2 a.m., on March 31, at his
home in this city, on the edge of
a small forest along the Yarkon
River. He had answered a knock
on the front door, and found
himself facing a uniformed police
officer accompanied by repre-
sentatives of Shin Bet. He was
told he was suspected of espio-
nage, and shown a warrant giv-
ing the officers authorization to
search his home.
By the time the arresting party
left Beer's home, about 65 pounds
of doCuments had been confis-
cated. When told that he was
accused of acting as a spy until
the preceding day, and informed
Min of the facts amassed by Shin
Bet, he confessed. He is alleged
to have made his last spying
contact only a few hours before
his arrest.
Beer told the Shin Bet probers
he had been "dragged into" his
espiOnage work, and claimed he
really knew no secrets since he
has been only a member of the
Army reserve since 1952. How-
ever, in 1956, prior to the launch-
ing of Israel's military campaign
against Egypt in the Sinai Des-
ert, he is said to have been one
of the very small handful of
Israelis who knew all of the Sinai
campaign plans.
It is charged that he had
passed on those plans to a
Communist country which, in
turn, transmitted the Sinai
plans to the Egyptians. The
Egyptians, however, disregard.
ed those secrets, thinking they
were false,
Among the documents confis-
cated in Beer's home were ex-
cerpts from Ben-Gurion's per-
sonal diaries. According to re-
ports in the press here, docu-
ments discovered in his home
showed that he had transmitted
to a foreign agent "military in-
formation that was fairly up to
date."
Rumors of the Beer arrest had
been circulating here since his
arraignment, but the Israeli
press was not permitted by Gov-
ernment censors to print any-
thing about the case. When the
ban was lifted, two newspapers
issued special editions, causing
a tremendous sensation. Later,
every newspaper printed the
news that shocked the nation.
All newspapers but one also car-
ried editorials on the case. The
It was also reported here that
the Austrian Military Academy
at Wiener Neustadt, which Beer
said he -attended, had no record
of any student named Beer.
Among other statements by the
accused spy which failed to check
out here was the claim that he
had been a member of the fo
men Austrian Schutzbund Soc
ist Organization.
* * *
ISRAEL BEER
JERUSALEM (JTA) —
litical parties in . Israel which
are not represented in the Ben-
Gurion Cabinet took immedi-
ate action on the "Beer case"
to exploit it for the coming
Parliamentary elections. The
Herut party requested a spe-
cial session of the Israel Par-
liament which is in recess now,
and the General Zionists de-
manded the formation of a
special inquiry commission in-
to the case and all its permu-
tations.
only exception was Davar—the
organ of the Mapai party.
Newspapers representing not
only the opposition parties but
The Progressive party and the
also speaking for all of the coali-
tion parties in the caretaker gov- General Zionists issued a joint
ernment — except Mapai — ex- statement, declaring that an in-
undertaken
pressed "deep shock." Editorial
ther
demanded to know how
t been a slacke
pened that a man wit
om-
ecautions"
munist" past had
able to
•ersonnel.
act as a spy, desp
e vigilanc
of the security
vices and
the pi'
such close pro
'ty to all
apai
secrets in the
fense Mini• .
partici-
eeting and
Prime Mini r David Ben-
e Beer case may
Gurion, who is
d to have con-
e a weapon in the Herut
suited Beer on hi,,
tary matters, such as a mai election campaign. Later he de-
campaign, was reported as being scribed as deliberately libelous
one of the most shocked people reports that Beer was his mili-
in Israel. At the personal request tary adviser or close associate.
of Ben-Gurion, who is also De- He attributed the reports to a
fense Minister, Beer had been campaign for "Government with-
appointed in 1952 as official his- out Ben-Gurion" and labeled the
torian of Israel's War of Libera- circulators malicious falsifiers.
tion, and had access to all secret
The Premier made the state-
military documents of Israel's ment at a Cabinet meeting at
armed forces. He had also lec- which the affair and its implica-
tured on strategy in Israel's War tions were discussed. Ben-Gurion
College.
emphasized that at no time did
Some reports here indicate Beer participate in military or
that Beer was under suspicion political discussions and that he
for several years, since, upon his did not belong to any body which
return from frequent trips to dealt with security matters.
Europe, he had made various re-
The Premier said Beer had no
ports that could not be verified. access- to official information in
Shin Bet personnel are under- connection with security matters
stood to have watched him for a and that whatever he- may have
long time but could not pin down obtained in this regard must
their suspicions until they traced have been privately gleaned from
him through tracking a foreign senior Army officers by virtue
agent in this country. His last of his position as Army historian.
meeting with a foreign agent took
The Cabinet shelved until the
place in the woods near his next meeting a decision on the
Yarkon River home. In recent proposal that a Ministerial com-
years, Beer is known to have mittee review the principles gov-
visited Communist East Berlin erning the appointment of offi-
at least six times.
cials dealing with security mat-
All newspapers today empha- ters and regarding the safeguard-
sized that he had acted as a spy, ing of state secrets. . The . head of
not for money, but "for ideal- Israel's- ched-
pear before the
ism."
reply to questions abut s
Doubt was cast on Beer's c
that he served in the I •
a- curity practices, after which the
binet 'll dis s th propos-
tional Brigade during
pan--
als.
ish Civil War, since s
ral p
No m or
male at. the
sons have claimed he
s in A
inet eeti
of the for
tria during that pen
He- told his lawyer
he did agent with whom Bee
whether
not visit Moscow as clain
iplomat had been
number of newspaper reports an
that he gave over no Israeli se- declared persona non grata over
the issue.
curity secrets.
* * *
VIENNA, (JTA) — Suspicion Threats of 'Reprisals'
in Israel that Beer had changed to Brazilian Jews Alert
his name or had lied about his
background in Europe were con- Police to Incidents
firmed Tuesday when Dr. Julius
RIO DE JANEIRO, (JTA) —
Deutsch, a former Austrian gen- Police in a number of Brazilian
eral of the International Brigade cities kept watch this week in
in the Spanish Civil War, said Jewish institutions and syna-
that he was "absolutely certain gogues although no anti-Jewish
that no Col. Beer existed in the incidents developed from the
Brigade. I knew all Austrian of- trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jeru-
ficers personally and I never salem. „Tewish families in several
heard the name Beer," he said. cities had received threatening
Beer had described himself to letters, warning of "reprisals"
Israeli investigators as a former for the trial.
colonel in the International Bri-
The entire Brazilian press gave
gade.
headline coverage to the trial.
Deutsch disclosed that he did Some of the newspapers de-
know a Maj. Loew, who he said manded the death penalty for the
was now working in the Israel Nazi but others asserted that life
war archives. He suggested imprisonment would be more fit-
that Beer might have adopted ting.
the Brigade_ experiences of
Maj. Loew as his own.
Classified ads bring fast results!
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., (JTA)— that his unit had viewed the
Governor Orval Faubus this evidence, of Eichmann's crimes.
week at-tacked the National States' Faubus termed the defenders of
Rights Party, which nominated Eichmann in Arkansas "misguided
him for the U.S. Presidency in fools or deliberate liars."
1960, for its defense of Nazi
criminal Adolf Eichmann._Faubus
MURRY KOBLIN
said the party's newspaper, "The
ADVERTISING ART
Thunderbolt," was "ridiculous"
in termini
.trial "a
gl
aid
y that
the urned innocent :vic-
tims to death.
He added that the atrocities of
which Eichmann stands accused
in Israel were no "hoax" and
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S -- THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS — Friday, April
Beer Confesses Guilt