Evening star., 1948-09-18
BY the kssocioted Press

The government of Israel acted
today to ferret out the asSaSSlnS
of Count Folke Bernadotte,
United Nations Palestine medi-
ator, and his French aide.
DR.. Ralph ]. Bunche, acting U. n.
mediator. formally notified the new
Jewish state that it must assume
full responsibility for the slaylngs.
Foreign Minister Moshe Shertok ad-
vised the L. N. that Israel is adopt
ing the most vigorous and energetic
measures to bring the aSsassins to
Justice and eradicate evil in Pal
eStire
The Israeli Army slapped curfeW
on Jerusalems 10000 Jews. Road
blocks were thrown up throughout
the Jewish section of the Holy City
and sound trucks admonished the
people to stay at home.
Military policemen were stationed
outside the American consulate and
others were ordered to accompany
and u. N. car in the city. The cur
few was the first ordered by the
Jewish state since Israel proclaimed
herself a nation last May
Breach of Truce Charged.
DR.. Bunche sent a telegram to
Shertok, telling him the assasslna- =
ton constitutes a breach OF truce
of the utmost gravity for which the
provisional government OF Israeli
must assume full responsibility"
DR.. Bunche said Mr.. Shertok
"preiudicial and unfounded state
ments concerning truce supervision
which the Israeli official made at
press conference September Is are
not the kind of statements which
would be calculated to discourage
reprehensible acts of this kind
Eve witnesses of the shooting,
which occurred while a U. N. convoy
was moving through the jewish
held Katamon district of Jerusalem
said the act was done by Jews
in Israeli Army uniforms"
A Jewish liaison officer with
U. NJ, who witnessed the assasslna-
tion of Count Bernadotte and
French Col. Andre Serrot, joined
police and American Consul General
John J. Macdonald in expressing
the belief the assailants were mem
bers of the Stern Gang, Jewish ex-
tremists.
Three other persons in the car
with Count Bernadotte and Col.
Serrot escaped injury. They were
Col Frank Begley of New Haven,
Conn, and Comdr. William Cox OF
washington, both American ooSerV-
ers with U. N. and Swedish Gen.
Aaee Lundstroem, chief aide TO
Count Bernadotte.
A meeting of the U. N. Security
Council is set for this afternoon to
consider the shooting.
Text of Telegram.
The text of DR.. Bunches telegram
to Israel follows:
The murder in cold blood OF
Count Bernadotte, United Nations
mediator for Palestine and OF Col
ANDRE Pierre Serrot in the Kata-
mon quarter of Jerusalem by jewish
aSSalldItS Is all outage against eiiS
international community and an un-
speakable violation of elementary
morality.
This tragic act occurred when
Count Bernadotte, acting under the
authority of the United Nations, was
on an official tour of duty in Jeru-
salem and in the presence OF a llal-
son officer assigned him by jewish
authorities. His safety, therefore
and that of his lieutenants under
ordinary rules of law and order, was
the responsibility of the prcVlslonal
government of Israel whose armed
forces and representatives control
and administer the area.
This act constitutes a breach OF
truce of the utmost gravity Tor
which the provisional government
Of Israel must assume full response
hility.
In this connection I feel obliged
to record the view that prejudlclal
and unfounded statements concern
tSee BERNADOTTE, Page ABB