867N.01/1201
Memorandum by the Acting Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs (Alling) to the Secretary of State
Mr. Secretary: This morning you raised the question whether there had taken place at the time the American-British Palestine Mandate Convention was approved by the Senate any debate or discussion which would throw light on whether the Senate considered that we were undertaking any particular obligations with respect to Palestine. The attached memorandum,84 prepared by Mr. Hunter Miller nearly two [Page 963] years ago, shows clearly that neither in the Senate itself nor in the Foreign Relations Committee was there any discussion of the kind you had in mind. I think the reason for the lack of discussion is clear. The Senate undoubtedly felt that the American-British Convention relating to Palestine differed in no material way from the eight other practically identical conventions which we had concluded respecting mandated territories. It was probably the view of the Senate, just as it certainly was the view of the Department, that the sole purpose of all these conventions was to gain for American nationals in the mandated territories the same rights and privileges which nationals of states members of the League of Nations enjoyed.
- Not printed.↩