867n.404Wailing Wall/37: Telegram

The Ambassador in Great Britain ( Dawes ) to the Secretary of State

246. As directed in your 223, August 26, 11 a.m., I called at the Foreign Office and expressed your earnest hope that immediate and [Page 52] comprehensive steps would be taken for the restoration of order and for the protection of the lives and property of American citizens in Palestine. The Foreign Office assured me that every effort is being made and will be made to restore order and to protect American lives and property. They stated that the Trans-Jordan forces have been used to prevent the Arabs from infiltrating across the river and making things worse. They said that a British battalion abroad consists of about 700 men and a battalion has been sent to Palestine from Egypt and a battalion and a half from Malta. The cruisers Barham [and] Sussex and [the] Courageous have probably arrived at Palestine by this time. The above is the statement of Sir Ronald Lindsay, the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

The following information was given by an official of the Colonial Office, which handles Palestine affairs, who stated that the situation was serious but not one to cause undue alarm. Possibly the greatest difficulty, he said, was in maintaining law and order in the small villages and settlements throughout Palestine. The disorders had been the result of a revival of the chronic feud between the Arabs and the Jews which started this time with the Wailing Wall clash. The Government was taking no chances and had ordered more troops than would most likely be necessary to Palestine. He believed that as a result the trouble would be soon straightened out. The remark was made that from the point of view of protecting American interests in Palestine it was fortunate that the Government had fast cruisers at Malta to send.

Dawes