867N.01/4–1945
Memorandum by the Acting Secretary of State to President Truman
I am attaching a letter in Arabic, together with a translation, written by the Amir Abdullah of Trans-Jordan to President Roosevelt under date of March 10, 1945, regarding Palestine.82 As Trans-Jordan is under British mandate, the letter was transmitted through the British Foreign Office and our Embassy in London, and has just been received.
The Amir’s letter is one of a series which the different Arab leaders recently decided to send President Roosevelt, in a concerted effort to bring to his attention the Arab point of view on the Palestine problem. Prior to Mr. Roosevelt’s death, such letters had been received from the following: King Ibn Saud, the Regent of Iraq, the President of Syria, and the Foreign Minister of Lebanon. To all of these, replies were made stating that in the view of this Government there should be [Page 707] no decision with respect to the basic situation in Palestine without full consultation with both Arabs and Jews. Assurances to this same effect had previously been made by President Roosevelt to the heads of a number of the Arab Governments, including the Amir of Trans-Jordan.
As we believe that it would be appropriate for you to acknowledge this letter and to renew these assurances, we have prepared the attached reply83 for your approval, and will be glad to transmit it to the Amir through the Embassy at London if you so desire.