Evening star., 1948-09-18


ground again after the Berna-
dotte assassination. A reliable
Stern Gang source in the British
capital said he could not make
any statement on the shootingD
Count Bernadotte and Col. Ser
rot were travelling in q convoy OF
several U. N. cars.
Col. Begley gave this account
last night:
1--WE were stopped by a jeep full
of irregulars in Jerusalem at an
abandoned roadblock. There was
lot of milling around, then two men
dressed. in the military uniforms
came up to the car.
"A man with a rommygun walked
past my window and snarled. saw
trouble coming and started to Jump
out. Then a second man came up
and wrestled with me as the first
one started shooting.
Hit Over Heart.
"The first one had looked into the
car and recognized the count. He
never said a word. He just raised
his gun and started shooting. Count
Bernadotte was hit right over the
heart and in the chest, the bullets
going right through the ribbons he
wore on his uniform.
"Col. Serrot was hit in the left
temple and in the forehead and
died instantly. The two killers ran
away, and I found the count still
alive. Then I pulled around the
convoy and went as fast as I could
to the Hadassah Hospital. The doc
tors there made quick examina-
ton and said there is a chance We
put the count on stretcher. He
died before we got inside"
Col Begley himself narrowly
missed being hit.
THE man I was fighting with
fired once through the front seat
but missed both myself and Comdr
Cox, who was beside me-" he said
Lundstroem Tells Story.
Count Bernadotte was sitting on
the rear seat of his car.
rear seat, Col. Serrot was in the
middle and Comdr. Cox was with
Col. Begley in front.
Gen. Lundstroem, still wearing
his blood-spattered white uniform
described the shooting:
Il threw my arms over my head
and leaned back when the shoot
ing started.
Then I leaned forward and asked
the count, Are you hit?' He only
nodded weakly. Then Col. Begley
Jumped back in the car and drove
us to the hospital"
The Jewish liaison ofhcer had left
the car only a few seconds before
and walked toward the roadblock
to expedite passage. Later he said
he did not recognize any of the
gunmen, but thought they were
Sternists.
Little Firing Heard.
Jerusalems guns were silent this
morning as Count Bernadotte
achieved f1eetingly in death the
Holy Land peace he cherished dur
ing life.
A couple Of rifle shots broke an
unusual calm and contrasted with
the bombardment which rocked
Jerusalem last night.
The stunned quiet was marred
only by a report from the Arabs
that the Jews had moved back into
the Arab college in the area of
former Government House. The
college is in the Red Cross zone
from which both sides were forced
to evacuate at Count Bernadottes
insistence. An immediate investi-
CATION of f,a the Arab report was
launched.
Planned to Move Headquarters.
It is now known that the medl-
ator had visited Government House
he was killed on his return trip
because he planned soon to move his
headquarters from the island of
Rhodes to the general vicinity of the
former headquarters of the British
inundated government. He also
planned to house the truce super
vision board on Mount Scopus.
DR.. Bunche officially described the
attack on Count Bernadotte's auto
mobile as planned and cold
blooded assassination DR.. Bunche
was notified today by Mr.. Mac
donald. chairman of the Palestine
truce board of appointment, that
Arkaoy A. Sobolev, acting secretary
general of the U. N. at Lake Sue
cess, had designated DR.. Bunche
acting Palestine mediator.
Dozen Slugs Sprayed Car.
DR.. Bunche notified the Security
Council that at least a dozen slugs
sprayed Count Bernadotte's car.
The acting mediator said the seat
in which Count Bernadotte and
Col. Serrot were sitting contained
10 certain and 2 possible bullet
perforations.
The upholstery on the right side
was heavily bloodstained in addition
to one bullet perforation through
the front of the chassis and another
through the top of the radiator grill
LII. cd'us
The car in which they were riding
was flying two United Nations flags
and an all white flag on the front
tenders.
In accepting his new appointment,
DR.. Bunche told Mr.. Macdonald:
Under such sorrowful circum-
stances, I want you to know that
have but one objective-namely, to
exert every possible effort to main
tain the truce in pursuance of in
structions of the Security Council
and to that end to keep the truce
observation machinery intact and in
full operation.
L will, of course, work closely with
the truce commission In this effort
and earnestly hope that the COM
mission will continue to accept a
special responsibility for Jerusalem
during these difficult times
| Gen. Lundstroem received a cable
today from Mr.. Sobolev demanding