Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, The Near East and Africa, Volume VII

867N.01/8–946: Telegram

The Chargé in the United Kingdom (Gallman) to the Secretary of State

secret
us urgent

London, August 9, 1946—7 p.m.
[Received August 9—3:51 p.m.]

7361. Reference Embassy’s 7358 of August 9.³⁶ Beeley, one of the officials in Eastern Dept of Foreign Office, immediately responsible for Palestine affairs told us this afternoon about the latest efforts being made by the British Govt to put an effective stop to illegal immigration into Palestine. The British Government, Beeley said, has very recently made representations to a number of European governments with a view to securing their cooperation in preventing the departure from ports under their control of ships carrying illegal immigrants to Palestine. Beeley stated that the countries to which representations have been made include Rumania, France, Italy and Belgium. No replies have yet been received by the Foreign Office from any of these countries he added. Beeley said he did not think any representations on this subject had been made to the Russians in Moscow but he explained that on more than one occasion the British have protested, both to the Rumanian Government and to the Russian authorities on the Control Commission in Bucharest, against the sailing from Rumania of ships with illegal immigrants for Palestine.

A few days ago, Beeley continued, the British asked both the Rumanian authorities and the Russian member of the Control Council in Bucharest to prevent the sailing of a vessel now waiting in Constanza harbor to take aboard immigrants for Palestine.³⁷

Stories are printed under banner headlines in this evening’s London papers describing the new British move to arrest the flow of illegal immigrants to Palestine.

Sent Dept as 7361; to Jerusalem as 55, to Paris for Secdel as 599.

Gallman

36. Not printed.
37. On August 12, 1946, the British Government released a statement that immigrants arriving illegally in Palestine would no longer be allowed to land there but would be removed to Cyprus or elsewhere pending a decision on their future. The statement was transmitted to Mr. Acheson by Lord Inverchapel on the day of its release (867N.01/8–1246).