Evening star., 1946-07-22
Hotel Bombed
In Jerusalem,
50 Are Killed
British Headquarters,
Palestine Secreturiut
Blasted by Terrorists
By the ksSocioted Press

JERUSALEM, July 22-Terror-
lists today bombed and shattered
part of the huge King David
Hotel, headquarters of the Brit
ish Army and the Secretariat of
the Palestine government, killing
at least so persons in a terrify-
ing blast that shook the modern
part of this ancient city.
The attack came % days after the
British Army occupied the Jewish
agency and arrested 1000 Jews and
leaders. A police communique gave
the estimate of dead Among the 60
reported unofficially as injured was
an American. Richard Mowrer, cor
respondent of the New York Post,
who was reported to have suffered a
broken leg while walking past the
hotel
A curfew was clamped on. Pedes-
trlans and traffic vanished from
streets in Jewish quarters of Jeru-
salem. Tight cordons barred access
to the King David Hotel, one of the
finest in Eastern Mediterranean
countries, while soldiers dug into
the rubble for more bodies and for
wounded
Postmaster General Killed.
Postmaster General G. D. Ken
nedy, veteran of Is years of gov
ernment service in Palestine, was
known to have been killed.
The explosion was likened by a
British Army officer to the detona-
tion of 500-pound bomb. 1t shat
tered the uneasy calm of Jerusa-
lem, torn by Jewish demands for
more immigration and Arab oppo-
sition, at 1890 pm.
The curfeW was imposed soon al
terWard while flames were licking
parts of the wreckage of the right
wing OF the hotel. The secretariat
appeared to have suffered more
heavily than army headquarters.
The military Offices were on the
upper floors The Secretariat occu-
pied nine rooms. Pedestrians were
permitted to move in certain areas,
but no traffic was allowed on the
streets except vehicles of troops and
police.
Hundreds of truckloads of troop,
and Bren carriers moved through
the city.
A military officer, who saw the
attack. said a small bomb first ex-
oloded block from the hotel,
breaking windows. This was evi-
IDENTIFY diversion
Seconds later burst from a TOM
nygun ripped out windows of the
Secretariat. A few minutes later,
4 tremendous explosion blew the
corner of the hotel-largest in Pal
9Stine-into rubble.
Il saw dead men lying on the
streets" one eyewitness said. There
were severeal ATS British Army
Women's Auxiliary girls covered
with blood from head to foot. One
nan was blown clear across the
street and his body hit the side of
he YMCA building"
Warning Given BY Phone.
The YMCA building, approximate
Y 100 yards from the hotel, was
ulOICIltu Win q DlOOQSLdlQ |
loot wide, but apparently was un-
damaged.
The telephone operator at the
hotel said that 15 minutes before the
explosion she received an anonymous
call saying the hotel was to be blown
up She was advised to flee.
instead, she spread the alarm and
many guests ran from the building.
Others, accustomed to alarms, re-
manned. AS word of the mysterious
call spread. air raid sirens atop the
hotel sounded and others throughout
the city took up the eerie howl
While an excited crowd was stand
Ing in the street outside the hotel,
Is youth, of them dressed as
Arabs, appeared In long corridor
of the hotel basement. A British
officer said the young men spoke in
Hebrew
Witnesses said they came from
the kitchen and everywhere" in the
hotel
A British major. suspecting their
intent, shouted at the group to halt
(See PALESTINE, Page Al