860c.4016/91a: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Poland (Gibson)

26. New York Times publishes this morning statement from Paris that Louis Marshall, head of Jewish Committee in Paris has received detailed report from his representatives of the persecution of Jews by Poles in Vilna. Report is called by correspondent “Detailed circumstantial account of murders, tortures, robberies, and separation of families giving names and addresses of victims.” Report tells first of disappearance of 400 Jews driven from their homes without leaving traces of their whereabouts. Not until May 7, more than 14 days after they had been sent away, was permission given to Commission to search for these lost people. Report continues “Of the whole party all we know is that they were seen thrown into the cars in a frightful condition and were beaten and robbed.” Report states that the number of killed already totals 60. States further that L. Jaffe President of the Lithuanian Zionist Association, member of Executive Committee of Jewish Community of Vilna, suffered special mishandling. According to report Israel Benski was shot in his home and his wife and child shot over his dead body, and that Reisa Stein was killed because she protested against arrest of her husband. It is said that under threat of shooting, about 200 Jews were kept in the Theater Platz all day during the 22nd of April and were beaten, that Rabbis Rubinstein and Schabad were seized by their beards and beaten with the butts of guns, that Chaio War-nian was robbed and tied to the horse of a legionary driven at gallop through the city, that three old men, Aronozicz, Katz and Gabbi Chodes were robbed of everything they had, that about 20 legionaries kept a man named Lichtenstein before a firing squad and demanded 10,000 roubles and that under pretense of a search legionaries and militia plundered shops, warehouses, charitable institutions and synagogues.

Report is represented as a flat contradiction of statement of Premier Paderewski that there was no persecution of Jews by Poles. Copy of newspaper is being sent you by pouch.

Polk