Norris' Letter to President Truman

NORRIS' LETTER ON ISRAEL TO PRESIDENT TRUMAN

First Baptist Church
4th and Throckmorton Streets
Fort Worth, Texas

Oct. 2, 1947

Hon. Harry S. Truman President United States Washington, D. C.

Dear Mr. President:

Mr. Matthew J. Connelly wired me New York October 1st and suggested that I write you certain matters of my trip to Palestine.

First, I want to thank you for your very kind personal letter of August 5th, which was of invaluable assistance in all my travels.

I have given extensive study to the Jewish Palestinian question. The issue is whether we will take the authority of the Bible of our mothers or the Koran with the sword and flame.

In that whole controversy the big issue is who owns the land, who has the title to that land? If that question is settled there is no other question.

The Lord God Almighty in Genesis the 17th chapter, specifically states that the title to Palestine is given not to Ishmael, the ancestor of the Arabs, but to Isaac and his seed for ever.

“And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.” (Gen. 17:19)

This covenant was confirmed to Isaac, Genesis 26:3:

“Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

This covenant was also confirmed to Jacob, Genesis 28:13:

“And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

The covenant was likewise confirmed to Moses in Deuteronomy 30:3-5:

“That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.

David specifically states the title to that land is to the Jews and the descendants of Jacob: Psalm 105:9-12:

“Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant: Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance: When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.

Thirteen hundred years ago the Arabs were usurpers, Mohammet with fire and sword, and they were robbers of property that belongs to the Jews.

A second and very important authority in addition to Scriptural authority, Great Britain was given mandate over Palestine for the purpose of Jewish immigration into that land and for making it a national home.

This mandate was confirmed by the United States Government and by the 57 Nations of the League of Nations.

The tragedy and the cause of all the present trouble is that Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister, put on a two-fold appeasement in 1939:

First, with Hitler, and that brought on World War II.

Second, with the Arabs, who were the allies of Hitler.

Chamberlain violated the international law giving that land as a national home for Jews in 1939, and said only 70,000 Jews would be permitted to go for the next five years, and after that none except by the consent of the Arabs. But the mandate made no such restrictions.

Therefore the present Jewish immigration into Palestine is not “illegal”; it’s legal.

Based on the mandate given to Great Britain over Palestine, and confirmed by the United States Government and confirmed by the League of Nations, the Jews invested six hundred and fifty million dollars in Palestine, built cities, public works, and the curse of God Almighty is on every hand that violates this most solemn agreement­-the mandate three times over confirmed.

Now, Mr. President, it certainly is a matter that should cause us to stop and think that the Arab leaders from the Grand Mufti on down were allies of Hitler, and it ill becomes them to come now into court with their hands dripping with the blood of the Jews, six million of them murdered by Hitler.

I interviewed many Arab leaders, and without question I found that the whole crowd are for Stalin, just like they formerly were for Hitler.

While this country was fighting Hitler, thirty thousand young Jews from Palestine volunteered and went to the battle front and not a single Arab regiment.

If the Arabs and Jews in Palestine were left alone they would get along and settle their troubles.

Russia is doing everything at her command to foment the trouble.

The time has come, and long past, when the United States should keep its promise and take a firm stand for law and order in that land that has given the world its Bible and Saviour.

Yours very sincerely,

(Signed by J. Frank Norris)








                    IN 1947, J. FRANK NORRIS WAS ONE OF A VERY
                    FEW WHO DARED SUPPORT AN UNPOPULAR
                    CAUSE AT THAT TIME.  PRESIDENT TRUMAN'S 
                    DECISION HAD A MONUMENTAL IMPACT.  WHERE
                    WOULD AMERICA BE TODAY WITHOUT IT'S MOST
                    LOYAL ALLY. (Opinion of Roy Falls)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2DCpQcj2sg

----------------------------------

THE WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON

                                                                    October 7, 1947

Dear Dr. Norris:

I am most grateful for your thoughtful letter of October second.  I deeply appreciate having the benefit of this expression of your views because I know that you have given long and extensive study to the Jewish Palestinian question.

                                                                   Very sincerely yours,

                                                    (Signed by President Harry Truman)

                                                                     Harry Truman

                                                                     President

Reverend J. Frank Norris,

First Baptist Church,

4th and Throckmorton Streets,

Fort Worth, Texas.

An unparalled story giving insight to a story you have never heard !

His name is William Blevins.  A stenographic report of his testimony is as follows:

"I was in the liquor business for 40 years.  I organized the Malt and Retail Liquor Dealers' Association of Texas and was its only head until it went out of business.  When J. Frank Norris came to Fort Worth it wasn't long until I recognized that he was going to put us out of business unless we put him out of business.  I called our gang together and we got in touch with the churchmen together of the various denominations, and it wasn't long until we had all the preachers silenced except this young fellow Norris.  I went out to hear him and I was convinced that we had a dangerous foe.  He would never let up.  We thought we had him down and out when we got him indicted and tried, but he was vindicated so overwhelmingly and then his church grew as never before and we were in worse fix than ever.  Then he did begin his war on us in dead earnest.

"He went and brought that fellow Mordecai Ham here and he was as bad or worse than Norris.  So something had to be done.  We thought we had Ham put out of business when a fellow jumped on him and knocked him in the head one night and we were soon through with Ham and Ramsey, but Norris was still fighting away and we called a representative group of 150 or more of the leading business men of the city together at the Metropolitan Hotel dining room and Paul Waples presided.  We lifted our glasses at the close of the fireworks when we decided to finish Norris, and gave a toast to his exit or finish.

"A few nights afterwards we called a huge mass meeting in the auditorium of the Chamber of Commerce, one block from the First Baptist Church, and Mr. George Armstrong presided and called for fifteen men to go and take Norris out.  I was heartily in favor of taking him out and so was everybody else, but we could not get the 15 men.

"And ladies and gentlemen, I believe the hand of God interfered that night and I am go glad that we didn't deprive his wife and children of their husband and father, and this church of its pastor, and since I would not put him out of business, I decided to join him.  I came to the church, walked down to the front and got down on my keeds and he got down with me on his knees and put his arms around my shoulders while I prayed, and I prayed the prayer 'God be merciful to me, a sinner' and He heard me and this man that I so hated and tried with others at every foot of ground at my command to put out of business, baptized me and I am now past my 80th milestone and in the course of nature will precede him to the other shore, and when I get there I am going to hunt up the Superintendent of the fair land and make two requests of Him.

"First, I want Him to let me know the day that Frank comes, and second, I want Him to let me off the day that I may be standing down at the beautiful gate and be the first to put my arms around him as the man who led me to Christ, by whose grace I am saved."

WILLIAMS (BILL) BLEVINS SAT ON THE FRONT SEAT EVERY SUNDAY AT THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF FORT WORTH.

Civil Practice & Remedies Code - Chapter 73

73.001.Elements of Libel

A libel is a defamation expressed in written or other graphic form that tends to blacken the memory of the dead or that tends to injure a living person's reputation and thereby expose the person to public hatred, contempt or ridicule, or financial injury or to impeach any person's honesty, integrity, virtue, or reputation or to publich the natural defects of anyone and thereby expose the person to public hatred, ridicule, or financial injury. 

PURPOSE OF THE SOCIETY

Those who may not be familiar with the ministry of the late J. Frank Norris, may rightfully ask, why engage in an effort perpetuating the legacy of one amoung hundreds in the past, who have been just as noteworthy as this one man.

As a close observer, I can only relate my opinion, which is the purpose of this website.  The subject of Christianity never ceases to be an object of inquisitive inquiries.  With myriads of volumns written on this subject, there never seems an end to an endless quest.  The age-long attempt to unravel the mysteries of life demand as never before a clarion call for definitive answers to life's mysteries.

One of the mysteries often inquired about is "What about the millions who have never heard the gospel?"  Spiritually minded persons should be able to give an answer.  More often than not, extensive rethoric tends to cloud the subject, rather than give enlightened scriptural explanation.

These conclusions lead into the "whys" and "wherefores" of this website.

Suffice it to say on this brief summation of the life of J. Frank Norris, he had an innate ability to speak the common man's language.  His messages always had a scriptural basis and were delivered in such a simplistic manner that the common man heard him gladly. 

What could be more simplistic than the sinner's prayer?  "Lord, be merciful to me a sinner".  This one phrase was the cornerstone of every message.  The content of the "Sinner's Prayer" passes the test of scriptural critique as well as the intellectual approach.