Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, The Near East, South Asia, and Africa, The Far East, Volume V

867N.01/7–1844: Telegram

The Minister in Iraq (Henderson) to the Secretary of State

Baghdad, July 18, 1944—1 p.m.
[Received 6:55 p.m.]

167. 1. Minister for Foreign Affairs⁹⁷ on July 15 and the Prime Minister⁹⁸ on the 16th told me that the members of the Iraqi Government were perturbed at the insertion in the Republican Party platform of a Zionist plank⁹⁹ and said they hoped that the plank did not express the true feelings of the large number of American citizens who belonged to the Republican Party.

2. Foreign Minister said that the matter had been discussed in the Cabinet, that it had been decided to ban its publication in the local press at least for the time being in order to avoid the stirring up of resentment and that he had been deputized to suggest that I transmit to my Government the deep concern of the Iraqi Government lest the Zionists in the United States, taking advantage of the internal political situation, succeed in committing both major American political parties to a course of action which is not in accord with the principles for which the United Nations are fighting.

3. The Foreign Minister said that he appreciated that American political parties did not speak for the American Government, that a party platform was quite different from a Government policy.

Nevertheless, pre-election commitments may have an influence upon post-election Government policies.

4. The Iraqi Government was convinced that the maintenance of really friendly relations between the Arab world and Great Britain and the United States was important to the development of the Arab countries. The policy of the Government was assiduously to cultivate those relations. However, if the British and American Governments under the pressure of Zionist schemers should turn Palestine over to Zionist control, no Government of Iraq could stem the wave of indignation which would spontaneously sweep the country. The Foreign Minister said that he felt he should be frank in saying that all that had been accomplished in building up friendly relations between Iraq and Great Britain and the United States would be instantly undone.

5. The Minister said that he was not making a protest since there was no ground for protest. He felt, however, that it was his duty to make clear the concern of his colleagues and himself and to let the American Government know of the serious nature of the problems the Iraqi Government would face if the Zionist plank of the Republican Party should become a policy of the American Government.

6. I thanked the Minister for his frankness and pointed out that lie was quite correct in distinguishing between party platforms and Government policies. I said that I hoped that the Government would bear in mind that in the United States no one speaks for the Government except the Government and that neither Government nor the Iraqi press should become unduly excited at statements that would be made during the coming campaign. I added that in making this statement I did not wish him to obtain the impression that I was given any intimation of what might eventually be the policy of the American Government towards Palestine. I did not know and I doubted whether anyone else in the United States knew precisely what that policy would be, that in any event the United States at present was not determining or carrying out Palestine policy.

Henderson

97. Arshad al-Umari.
98. Hamadi al-Pachachi.
99. The statement of the Republican Party platform adopted at Chicago on June 27, 1944, was as follows: “In order to give refuge to millions of distressed Jewish men, women, and children driven from their homes by tyranny, we call for the opening of Palestine to their unrestricted immigration and land ownership, so that in accordance with the full intent and purpose of the Balfour Declaration of 1917 and the resolution of a Republican Congress in 1922 [June 30, 1922, Congressional Record, vol. 62, pt. 10, p. 9799], Palestine may be constituted as a free and democratic Commonwealth. We condemn the failure of the President to insist that the mandatory of Palestine carry out the provision of the Balfour Declaration and of the mandate while he pretends to support them.” (House Report No. 1997, 78th Cong. 2d sess.)