867n.404Wailing Wall/128: Telegram
The Consul General at Jerusalem (Knabenshue) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 31—4:09 a.m.]
As occurring events have been adequately covered lately by the press, although perhaps somewhat exaggerated and not always entirely correct, I have discontinued such reports unless they should be of special interest or significance.
Measures now taken in Jerusalem believed to be sufficient to maintain public security within the city in spite of the fact that as I write numerous machine-gun and rifle shots are heard fired in the outskirts of the city.
The menace from Trans-Jordan is not now so dangerous and the British general commanding believes that, with his present force of 2,000 troops together with about 1,000 marines, he will be able to clear [Page 55] up the situation, but I believe that continued disorders will continue in outlying localities throughout the country for some time before general public security is finally reestablished; and I still insist that as there are many important localities still unprotected, in some of which American lives and property are in danger, more troops should be sent to clear up the situation quickly instead of slowly which would inevitably result in the further destruction of lives.