867N.01/6–1446
President Truman to the British Prime Minister (Attlee)72
us urgent
In reply to your telegram of June 10 concerning the Palestine talks, I of course agree that it will not be possible for our two Governments to reach any definitive decisions regarding any of the recommendations of the Anglo-American Committee until after June 20. I also am appreciative of the considerations which will undoubtedly impel your Government to give the most careful consideration to determining its future action regarding all of the Committee’s recommendations including that pertaining to the 100,000 Jews.
Nevertheless, I consider that our two Governments should without delay endeavor to make detailed plans for the transfer of the 100,000 Jews to Palestine. These plans would thus be ready for use when definite decisions are made. I feel moreover that considerable time would be saved, when the two Governments discuss all of the various matters relating to the report, if such plans had already been devised. It is for this reason that we are instructing our Ambassador in London, Mr. Harriman, to initiate preliminary conversations at once with representatives of your Government relative to these technical and physical problems. He will be assisted by a group of representatives of the State and War Departments who are proceeding to London this week.
We are organizing as rapidly as possible the group which is to go to London to discuss the report in more detail. Meanwhile, however, I hope that your Government will agree to begin now the exploratory conversations relative to the purely technical issues involved in the transfer to Palestine of the 100,000 Jewish displaced persons, whose situation requires such urgent attention.
- Sent to London as Department’s telegram 4722, with the instruction: “Following message is for delivery to Premier Attlee from President.”↩