The week-end visit of Colonial Secretary Malcolm Mac-Donald, which was kept secret until his departure this afternoon, left Palestine gasping. Not even Inspector-General Alan Saunders of Palestine police and other police officials, knew he was coming. Members of the Jewish Agency executive said no member had met him during the visit.
Mr. MacDonald did some extensive sight-seeing in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and at Solomon’s Pools. He flew across the Galilee in northern Palestine and Samaria in the south. This morning white-clad and wearing a sun helmet, and carrying a camera, he visited the mosque of Omar and the Wailing Wall, watching the Jewish worshippers mourning the destruction of the temple of which the wall is a segment. Among the worshippers was Menachem Mendel Ussishkin, 74-year-old president of the Jewish National Fund.
Because of the heavy policing of the area in connection with Tisha b’av, no special guard was needed for Mr. MacDonald, thus facilitating his incognito movements. speculation was aroused as to whether his visit indicated stronger measures to restore peace, since observers pointed out that the visit spotlighted the critical situation in Palestine.
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