867N.01/5–646: Telegram

President Truman to the British Prime Minister (Attlee)31

secret

I have been considering the next steps which should be taken with regard to Palestine and believe that the first thing to be done is to initiate the consultations with Jews and Arabs to which both our Governments are committed. I believe the report of the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry offers a basis for such consultations and I contemplate the adoption of the following procedure, on which I should welcome your comments:

The report will be brought by this Government in the immediate future to the attention of the Jewish and Arab organizations specified [Page 597] below as well as the Governments of Arab States with which this Government maintains relations with the request that they transmit their views on it within a certain period, say two weeks. On receipt of their views this Government will consult the British Government and then proceed to determine its attitude toward the report as a whole and to issue a public statement as to the extent to which it is prepared to accept the report as the basis for its Palestine policy.

I imagine that the British Government will wish to take concurrent action and should be glad to know if this assumption is correct. In view of the urgency surrounding the question of the admission to Palestine of the 100,000 Jews whose entry is recommended by the Committee, I sincerely hope that it will be possible to initiate and complete the consultations with Arabs and Jews at the earliest possible moment.

The organizations and groups in question would be: American Zionist Emergency Council, American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Conference, American Council for Judaism, American Jewish Congress, Institute for Arab American Affairs, Agudas Israel of America, New Zionist Organization of America, Jewish Agency, League of Arab States, Arab Higher Committee, Governments of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Trans-Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

  1. Sent to the Ambassador in London as Department’s telegram 3816. with the instruction: “Please deliver following message from the President to Prime Minister Attlee.”