867N.00/287
The Consul General at Jerusalem (Morris) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 21.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Consulate General’s despatch No. 62 of April 25, 1936, concerning the present disturbances, and to supplement that despatch with the following comments on the situation as it has developed from April 25 until the present date.
When despatch No. 62 was submitted the situation was briefly as follows: the Arabs were conducting a general strike which did not have the whole-hearted support of all the Arab leaders, the internal situation of the country, although relatively quiet, was rendered tense by isolated instances of arson, stabbing, sniping at night, minor disturbances in most of the towns and cities containing an appreciable Arab population, and by such forms of agricultural sabotage as the burning of crops, the despoliation of groves and the uprooting of trees. The Arab leaders had not then decided exactly what their policy would be. The Jewish attitude was one of watchful waiting.
With the exception of the policy of the Arab leaders the situation has undergone no notable change since April 25. The description contained in the above paragraph applies perfectly well to the present situation, although it must be recognized that the most trifling of incidents, whether accidental or of design, could precipitate disorders of a most serious nature. Such disorders would almost certainly involve a spirited armed defense by the Jews, if they considered themselves attacked, and would consequently be considerably more grave than any that have yet occurred in Palestine. The possibility of such Jewish action is not discounted by the authorities, who state that if the Haganah becomes active it will be “considered as an organization of rebels and treated as such”.
It will be remembered that on April 25 the Arab leaders held a meeting to determine their line of policy. As far as can be learned the meeting was of a stormy nature and no agreement was reached until late in the afternoon. Nashashibi urged that the strike be abandoned and that the delegation proceed to London. The Mufti argued for a continuance of the strike and a unanimous Arab attitude. At length Nashashibi saw that he was outnumbered and consented, for the sake of solidarity, to lend his support to the strike. This he did wholeheartedly. His newspaper, Falastin, carried editorials supporting the Arab program and urging that every shop owner and chauffeur join the strike which, from that moment, became general and worthy of serious consideration.
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Respectfully yours,