February 24: ON THIS DAY in 1949, Israel, Egypt sign Holy Land Pact

February 24, 2020 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1920, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “LONDON — The Allies will decline to deal with Soviet Russia ‘until they have arrived at the conviction that the Bolshevist horrors have come to an end,’ it was announced after a meeting of the Allied Supreme Council today. The decision of the Supreme Council, it was recognized, precludes diplomatic relations between the Allied Governments and the Moscow administration in the immediate future. The Council expressed itself as pleased that the International Labor Bureau had decided to send a delegation to Russia to study conditions, but it stated its belief that supervision of the delegation should be under the Council of the League of Nations, giving the investigators greater authority. The Council, it was stated, decided that the Allies could not accept the responsibility of advising the border States to continue war against the Bolsheviki, which course by such States might be injurious to their interests. If the Bolsheviki attack within the territory of the border states, however, the Allies promise ‘every possible support.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “GUAM (U.P.) — Weary marines battled across the central airfield on Iwo with flame throwers, tanks and bayonets today. Complete control of the field appeared almost within their grasp. A BBC broadcast reported by CBS quoted Radio Tokyo as saying the Americans have established two new beachheads on the southeast coast of Iwo. Casualties mounted steadily on both sides in the bloodiest fighting of the Pacific war. While American losses have not been announced beyond 5,372 casualties for the first 58 hours of the six-day battle, the finding of another 717 Japanese bodies jumped the number of enemy dead to at least 1,939.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1949, the Eagle reported, “RHODES (U.P.) — Israel signed an historic armistice with Egypt today in a brief 22-minute ceremony which laid the basis for permanent peace in the Holy Land. In the armistice, Israel won de facto recognition from the Arab states, which immediately lined up to follow Egypt’s example and make peace with Tel Aviv. The agreement gave Israel 25 Jewish settlements in the Negeb captured during October’s bitter battles. Egypt won a 100-square-mile slice of Southern Palestine covering a 20-by-5-mile strip along the coast from Gaza south to the Egyptian border. Five copies of the armistice were initialed officially between 10:30 and 10:44 today but war between Israel and Egypt actually ended last night when both sides joked and discussed their battles at a champagne party celebrating the agreement.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1950, the Eagle reported, “LONDON (U.P.) — Winston Churchill’s Conservatives pounded at the heels of the Laborites today in election returns which all but blasted Socialist hopes for a new lease on absolute power in Britain. The combined Conservative and Liberal count was 264 seats in the House of Commons to 266 for Labor. The Laborites led the Conservatives alone by eight seats. The race became so close late in the afternoon that the Speaker of the House, Clifton Brown, who cannot vote although he is a Conservative, was taken out of the Conservative list and listed under ‘other parties.’ The standing late this afternoon: Labor 290; Conservatives 274; Liberals six; Other parties one. The House has 625 members, and a bare technical majority is 313 seats.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1963, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON — While Russian military activity in Cuba continues to stir up a row in Congress, the Senate Internal Security subcommittee has quietly resumed its investigation of the ‘Fair Play for Cuba Committee.’ The subcommittee has been conducting closed, unannounced hearings under the direction of Vice Chairman Thomas J. Dodd, D-Conn. While senators have been reluctant to talk about the inquiry, they deny that it has any bearing on the Cuban military controversy. The probe is reported to be an extension of 1960-61 hearings into the organization’s activities in the U.S. It is said to involve the current status on the ‘Fair Play’ group, which has remained active. Sen. James O. Eastland, D-Miss., subcommittee chairman, announced in August of 1961 that the investigation ‘established that the operation of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee on the national level is substantially Communist-financed and Communist-dominated.’ The subcommittee report also said the organization was established with substantial financial support from the Castro government and had been supported by the Communist Party in the U.S.”