Historic POW notes found in IDF archives
By ARIEH O'SULLIVAN
Neura Bar-Noach's memory didn't fail her. When she heard the story last week that the defense establishment had launched a wide search for historical notes left by early-state hero Uri Ilan, she knew just where they might be.
Ilan had hanged himself in a Damascus prison on January 13, 1955. Hidden in his clothing was a note that stated: "I did not betray my country." Ilan and four other soldiers had been captured on the Golan Heights in December 1954. He chose to kill himself rather than talk and his story symbolized for generations of young Israelis the ultimate expression of self-sacrifice for the state.
The note, punched out of a piece of paper by with a match, had been hidden with eight others on his clothing. They were discovered after the Syrians returned his body. Another note read, "Bury me next to Gabi," his friend.
A mini crisis erupted last week when family and friends began preparing for the 50th anniversary of Ilan's death and they discovered that the original notes had been lost.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz ordered a sweeping search for the notes at the urging of Ilan's brother Shimon and childhood friend MK Ran Cohen. Mofaz instructed the search also include the personal archives of David Ben-Gurion who was defense minister at the time, and Moshe Dayan, then chief of IDF General Staff.
Hearing the story, Bar-Noach recalled that when she served as secretary for Dayan 50 years ago he had the notes sent to military intelligence, where they were to undergo a graphological examination. She also remembered that the notes were never returned.
Using this lead, a team located the historic note and eight others in a folder in the archives of military intelligence.
Shimon Ilan was delighted by the news. He said he was confident the documents would be treated with more respect now.
"The notes don't belong to the Ilan family, but are part of the heritage of the state," Ilan told The Jerusalem Post. "At least now, I hope, it won't be placed in some carton and forgotten. It deserves to be displayed."
Defense Ministry officials said a decision was to be made soon regarding what to do with the notes. They would likely be displayed in public, but a decision had to be made regarding where.
Ilan said the discovery of the notes could also lead to the discovery of other historical items, including classified documents surrounding the capture of his brother. He said now that 50 years had passed, these documents would be released.
Born and raised on Kibbutz Gan Shmuel, Uri Ilan had been part of a five-man squad captured on the Golan Heights on December 8, 1954, while on an operation to retrieve tapping devices on Syrian telephone lines.
A son of a former Mapam member of Knesset, he committed suicide in jail on January 13, 1955 and his body was returned the next day. At the time Israel charged he had been tortured, but a UN examination found no proof of that.
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