867N.01/10–2745
The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador (Halifax)
The Secretary of State presents his compliments to His Excellency the British Ambassador and has the honor to refer to the text of a telegram from the Foreign Office dated October 27, 1945, which Mr. Balfour was so good as to transmit to the Department and in which [Page 801] it is indicated that the Foreign Office cannot agree to eliminate from its “redraft of the original No. 2 [3?]” the words “or other countries outside Europe.”
The Government submitted a counter-proposal94 as to terms of reference only because there seemed to be no other course to take if His Majesty’s Government would not agree to immediate action to remedy conditions as suggested by the President in his letter to the Prime Minister of August 31, 1945. This counter-proposal concluded with the statement that the President still adhered to the views which he had expressed in his letter to the Prime Minister.
This Government fears that any inquiry directed to an examination of conditions not only in Palestine, but other countries outside of Europe, would result in delaying the alleviation of a situation which requires prompt remedial action.
It is obvious from the telegram of the Foreign Office referred to above that it is not possible for the two Governments at this time to agree upon the terms of reference. It is therefore desired that it be clearly understood that the counter-proposals of this Government have been withdrawn.
When the Prime Minister visits the President during the course of November, it is hoped that an agreement may be reached which will permit prompt remedial action and provide the satisfactory solution of the problem desired by both Governments.