867N.01/6–2045
Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. Evan M. Wilson of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs92
| Participants: | Dr. Nahum Goldmann, Chairman of the Administrative Committee of the World Jewish Congress |
| Mr. Henderson, NEA | |
| Mr. Merriam, NE | |
| Mr. Wilson, NE |
Dr. Goldmann called to pay his respects to Mr. Henderson and to apprise the Department of what he described as the grave crisis confronting the Zionist leadership as a result of the continued failure of the British and American Governments to make known a settlement of the Palestine question He said that for five years and more, the moderate Zionist leaders, such as Dr. Weizmann,93 Rabbi Wise, and himself, had been urging their people to follow a policy of moderation and not to expect a solution of the Palestine question along Zionist lines, before the end of the war in Europe. This advice to their followers had been based on assurances which the Zionist leaders had received from President Roosevelt, Mr. Churchill, and other statesmen to the effect that if the Zionists would only be patient and do nothing to interfere with the war effort, their aims would eventually be realized. Dr. Goldmann said that the Zionist leadership had succeeded to a notable degree in imposing a policy of restraint upon the Jews of the world. There had been some extremists, of course, notably in Palestine itself, but on the whole the Jews had shown great moderation.
Now, he continued, the mood of the Jewish people was turning to one of desperation. They had seen millions of their fellow Jews ruthlessly murdered, their homes destroyed, and their culture completely stamped out, in certain portions of Europe. These developments had naturally brought sorrow to all Jews but there had always been the hope that once the common Nazi enemy was defeated, the Jews would see their aspirations in Palestine realized. It was only owing to the existence of this feeling of confidence in the future that the Zionist leaders had been able to persuade their people to accept in a disciplined manner the terrible misfortunes which had been visited upon world Jewry the last few years.
Dr. Goldmann continued that the Jewish people were beginning to [Page 711] ask how long they would need to wait, now that the war with Germany was over. They were only too well aware of the vast problems with which any program of rehabilitating the Jews of Europe must cope. Anti-Semitism had remained as the one substantial legacy of the Nazis on the European scene and those Jews who were left in Europe were facing almost insuperable obstacles. In the Jewish community of Palestine there was a new spirit of determination, a readiness to resort to strong measures if necessary, which was rather disturbing. Anything might happen in a community where 60,000 young men were fully trained and ready to take up arms in defense of their rights. In Palestine, as elsewhere, the Zionist leadership had been strongly criticised for following a policy of “appeasement” instead of insisting on the literal fulfillment of Jewish demands. Dr. Goldmann himself had been branded a Quisling while he was in Palestine last year. So strong was the opposition which was developing, that at any time Dr. Weizmann and the other moderates might be ousted in favor of Rabbi Silver94 and other advocates of a stronger policy. At least seventy per cent of American Zionists, including the Mizrachi (the religious Zionists), were backing Rabbi Silver strongly and it was not at all certain that the extremists would not prevail. There was also much talk of bringing the Revisionists back into the World Zionist Organization, as Rabbi Silver desired. This had been considered twice recently as a result of a request by the New Zionists that they be admitted to the American Zionist Emergency Council, but Dr. Goldmann and his group had been successful in maintaining the position that the Revisionists should not be re-admitted unless they would first pledge themselves to maintain the discipline of the Council.
In these circumstances, Dr. Goldmann asked, what can the Zionist leaders say to their people? Dr. Weizmann was not a well man and was anxious to resign his leadership. Dr. Goldmann himself had no personal ambitions, but felt it his duty to try to guide his people. Dr. Weizmann had called a meeting of the Smaller Actions Committee of the World Zionist Organization, which would convene in London late in July after the British elections and which would include representatives from Palestine, Great Britain, the United States, and other countries. This meeting would have to decide the course which the Zionist movement would follow. If there were no indications by then of a favorable solution in Palestine, the present leadership would probably resign in favor of Rabbi Silver and his adherents. Dr. Goldmann said that this would be unfortunate, since it would mean that the control would pass to those not averse to violence. There might even be actual bloodshed in Palestine, as no one knew how much longer the young people could be held back if no support were given to their aims.
[Page 712]Dr. Goldmann continued that recently Dr. Weizmann had sought an interview with Mr. Churchill but the Prime Minister was engrossed in his election preparations, and had instead sent his son, Randolph, to see Dr. Weizmann. Randolph Churchill had been at pains to assure Dr. Weizmann that his father was as much of a Zionist as ever. Without some concrete evidence of official support, however, it was difficult for the leadership to continue playing upon that support. In this country, the Zionists had had an appointment with President Truman last week, but it had been canceled at the last minute. They hoped to see the President after his return from the Pacific Coast for a detailed discussion of the Palestine question as he had promised them.
Dr. Weizmann [Goldmann?] referred to his visit to San Francisco during the Conference and said that he had conferred with a number of delegates there, including some from the Arab countries. He had had some long talks with Lord Cranborne96 which the latter would report to Mr. Churchill. Mr. Jan Masaryk97 had again, given assurances, based on a recent visit to Moscow, that the Soviet Union would favor a Jewish State in Palestine. This was in line with what the Zionists had been told by President Roosevelt on his return from Yalta when he had remarked that, to his surprise, Stalin had not appeared opposed to Zionism.
Mr. Henderson here referred to a recent public address by Professor Korovin in Moscow, who had stated that the Soviet Union was supporting the Arabs in Palestine, and he inquired whether Dr. Goldmann had heard of this. Dr. Goldmann showed considerable interest and agreed that there were conflicting indications as to the position of the Soviets in this matter.
In closing, Dr. Goldmann reverted to the crisis facing the Zionist leadership, and said that he could not stress too much the serious nature of the situation. Mr. Henderson thanked Dr. Goldmann for giving us this full account of the present position and assured him that we would bring his views to Mr. Grew’s attention and that they would receive very careful consideration.
- Copy transmitted on June 25, 1945, to the Acting Secretary (Grew) and Mr. William Phillips, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State, by the Director of the Office of Near Eastern and African Affairs (Henderson), who commented in part in a memorandum: “More violent attacks than usual may be made at any time by certain more radical Zionists on the Dept.” (867N.01/6–2045). A group of Zionists were received by the Acting Secretary on June 28, at which time much the same discussion took place as recorded here; for extracts from this memorandum of conversation, see Conference of Berlin (Potsdam), vol. i, p. 974.↩
- Chaim Weizmann, President of the World Zionist Organization.↩
- Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver had been co-chairman, with Rabbi Wise, of the American Zionist Emergency Council until he resigned in December, 1944.↩
- Robert Cecil, Baron Cecil of Essendon, at this time British Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs.↩
- Czechoslovak Minister for Foreign Affairs.↩