867N.01/5–1946: Circular telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to Certain Diplomatic and Consular Officers 44
us urgentn niact
On May 20 you should address communication to Govt to which you are accredited enclosing text of memo which is being transmitted in Dept’s immediately following telegram as well as copy of report of Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry with appendices. Memo is that referred to in Dept’s circular May 1645 and is also being sent together with copy of report to interested groups in this country. British representatives in your area will probably receive instructions from their Govt also to ascertain views of Arabs and Jews and you should offer to associate yourself with them in approach. Cairo will approach Arab League and Govt of Yemen as well as Egyptian Govt and Jerusalem will approach Arab Higher Committee, Jewish Agency and Govt of Trans-Jordan. Dept plans make public in near [Page 610] future fact that views of Arabs and Jews have been requested46 and will release text of memo.
Beirut inform Damascus.
Repeated London for information only.
- At Beirut, Cairo, Baghdad, Jidda, and Jerusalem. The circular telegram was also repeated to London with the following addition: “Memo mentioned is same as contained in Dept’s 4136 of May 19, noon.” For No. 4136, see infra.↩
- Not printed.↩
- For text of the Department’s announcement on May 21 that “the Government of the United States, in conjunction with the British Government, has taken steps to initiate the consultations with Jewish and Arab leaders regarding Palestine to which both Governments have been committed”, see Department of State Bulletin, June 2, 1946, p. 956. The text of the Department’s letter of May 20 seeking the views of various American organizations with a particular interest in Palestine is printed ibid. ↩