Exodus - Leon Uris [107]
Sutherland shook his head. “Neddie and I have been through for years. All we ever had between us that was meaningful was the Army. That’s what held us together.”
“Any plans?”
“These months on Cyprus have done something to me, Sir Clarence, especially these past few weeks. You may not believe this, but I don’t feel that I’ve suffered a defeat. I feel that I may have won something very great. Something I lost a long time ago.”
“And what is that?”
“Truth. Do you remember when I took this post? You told me that the only kingdom that runs on right and wrong is the kingdom of heaven and the kingdoms of the earth run on oil.”
“I remember it well,” Tevor-Browne said.
“Yes,” Sutherland said, “I have thought so much about it since this Exodus affair. All my life I have known the truth and I have known right from wrong. Most of us do. To know the truth is one thing. To live it ... to create the kingdom of heaven on earth is another. How many times in a man’s life does he do things that are repulsive to his morality in order to exist? How I have admired those few men in this world who could stand up for their convictions in the face of shame, torture, and even death. What a wonderful feeling of inner peace they must have. Something that we ordinary mortals can never know. Gandhi is such a man.
“I am going to that rotten sliver of land that these Jews call their kingdom of heaven on earth. I want to know it all ... Galilee, Jerusalem ... all of it.”
“I envy you, Bruce.”
“Perhaps I’ll settle down near Safed ... on Mount Canaan.”
Major Alistair entered the office. He was pale and his hand shook as he gave Tevor-Browne a note to read. Tevor-Browne read it and reread it and could not believe his eyes. “Great God, save us all,” he whispered. He passed the note to Bruce Sutherland.
URGENT
Ari Ben Canaan, spokesman for the Exodus, announced that beginning at noon tomorrow ten volunteers a day will commit suicide on the bridge of the ship in full view of the British garrison. This protest practice will continue until either the Exodus is permitted to sail for Palestine or everyone aboard is dead.
Bradshaw, with Humphrey Crawford and half a dozen aides, sped out of London to the quiet of a peaceful, isolated little house in the country. He had fourteen hours to act before the suicides on the Exodus began.
He had badly miscalculated the entire thing. First, the tenacity and determination of the children on the ship. Second, the powerful propaganda the incident created. Finally, he had not imagined that Ben Canaan would take the offensive and press the issue as he had. Bradshaw was a stubborn man but he knew when he was defeated, and he now turned his efforts to making a face-saving settlement.
Bradshaw had Crawford and his aides cable or phone a dozen of the top Jewish leaders in England, Palestine, and the United States to ask them to intervene. The Palestinians, in particular, might possibly dissuade Ben Canaan. At the very least they could stall the action long enough to enable Bradshaw to come up with some alternate plans. If he could get Ben Canaan to agree to negotiate then he could talk the Exodus to death. Within six hours, Bradshaw had his answers from the Jewish leaders. They answered uniformly: WE WILL NOT INTERCEDE.
Next Bradshaw contacted Tevor-Browne on Cyprus. He instructed the general to inform the Exodus that the British were working out a compromise and to delay the deadline for twenty-four hours.
Tevor-Browne carried out these instructions and relayed Ben Canaan’s answer back to England.
URGENT
Ben Canaan informed us there is nothing to discuss. He says either the Exodus sails or it doesn’t sail. He further states that complete amnesty to the Palestinians