867n.01/13½a
The Secretary of State to President Wilson 59
My Dear Mr. President: There is being brought considerable pressure for the issuance of a declaration in regard to this Government’s attitude as to the disposition to be made of Palestine. This emanates naturally from the Zionist element of the Jews.
My judgment is that we should go very slowly in announcing a policy for three reasons. First, we are not at war with Turkey and therefore should avoid any appearance of favoring taking territory from that Empire by force. Second, the Jews are by no means a unit in the desire to reestablish their race as an independent people; to favor one or the other faction would seem to be unwise. Third, many Christian sects and individuals would undoubtedly resent turning the Holy Land over to the absolute control of the race credited with the death of Christ.
For practical purposes I do not think that we need go further than the first reason given since that is ample ground for declining to announce a policy in regard to the final disposition of Palestine.
Faithfully yours,
- This paper bears the notation: “The President returned me this letter at Cabinet Meeting December 14, 1917, saying that very unwillingly he was forced to agree with me, but said that he had an impression that we had assented to the British declaration regarding returning Palestine to the Jews RL.” For text of the declaration, see Foreign Relations, 1917, supp. 2, vol. i, p. 317, footnote 1.↩