501.BB Palestine/8–247: Telegram
The Acting United States Representative at the United Nations (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
704. Following is a letter from Benjamin Cohen, Acting Secretary General, United Nations, to Herschel V. Johnson, August 1, 1947:
“The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine, created by resolution of General Assembly of 15 May 1947, has decided to send [Page 1136] a sub-committee consisting ten members to visit Assembly centers in Germany and Austria. Seven members of Secretariat will be attached to sub-committee, and it is likely that a number of accredited journalists will accompany the sub-committee during its visit in those areas. In accordance with this decision of Special Committee and with Paragraph 8 of General Assembly Resolution which reads as follows:
‘8. Requests the Secretary-General to enter into suitable arrangements with the proper authorities of any state in whose territory the Special Committee may wish to sit or to travel, to provide necessary facilities, and to assign appropriate staff to the Special Committee;’
I have honour to request that you communicate with your Government as soon as possible, in view of intended visit of sub-committee early next week, and ask that military commander of American zone in Germany and Austria be advised to afford full facilities to this subcommittee during its work in that area.
The names of members of sub-committee, of Secretariat and accompanying journalists will be communicated directly to military commander of zone.”1
- In reply, in telegram 339, August 7, the Secretary of State advised the U.S. Mission at the United Nations that the text of Mr. Cohen’s letter had been cabled to the appropriate military authorities with the instruction that necessary facilities and assistance should be provided to the Committee to the extent available. (501.BB Palestine/8–247). For the Sub-Committee’s report of August 20, 1947, see UNSCOP , vol. ii, p. 14.↩