JFK: The Letter Mentions That 13 Bombs Went Off in Jerusalem on His Last Night There, Which He Attributed to Jewish Terrorists (Likely the Irgun Militia) Attempting to Damage Utility Lines
In his 1939 letter to his father following a visit to Palestine, John F. Kennedy described the ongoing violence in the region. He noted that on his last evening in Jerusalem, 13 bombs were set off, all in the Jewish quarter.
Kennedy attributed these bombings to Jews, stating they were carried out by Jewish terrorists. He observed that the bombings targeted telephone lines and electric connections in the Jewish quarter.
He described the irony that after damaging their own infrastructure, those responsible would contact the British authorities the next day to request repairs.
The context was the period of Arab revolt against British Mandate policies and Jewish immigration, during which various groups, including Jewish militant organizations such as the Irgun, engaged in armed actions against British targets and infrastructure to pressure for policy changes.
The letter is archived at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
