501.BB Palestine/9–2447
Memorandum by Major General John H. Hilldring to the Acting United States Representative at the United Nations (Johnson)
After the meeting of the United States Delegation this morning, another meeting regarding the United States position as to Palestine was held in the Secretary’s office with the following attendance: The Secretary, Mrs. Roosevelt, Mr. Dean Rusk, Mr. Charles Bohlen,1 Mr. Charles Fahy2 and General Hilldring.
After a discussion in which everyone present participated, the Secretary decided that:
- 1.
- The United States Representative on the Ad Hoc Committee on Palestine would, in general, conduct himself in accordance with the [Page 1163] following plan: a) No opening statement will be made by the United States Representative in the early phases of the discussion of the Palestine question; b) The United States Representative will support and encourage a general discussion of the Palestine question during the early days of the Ad Hoc Committee meetings, especially with respect to getting before the Committee the views of the United Kingdom, the Arab Higher Committee and the Jewish Agency; c) At the completion of this general discussion, the United States Representative will for the first time present the U.S. views. This view should take into account the historical commitments of the United States regarding Palestine, the majority report of UNSCOP and a consideration of the views expressed in the general debate before the Committee.
- 2.
- The presentation of the United States position mentioned in (c) above should begin at once. It should embrace support of the majority report of UNSCOP with such amendments as are now believed by the United States Government to be wise and essential to a workable plan. It was understood, and the Secretary stated, that this plan should have incorporated in it any useful suggestions that are brought to light in the general discussion before the Committee. However, there should be retained in the plan the provisions for partition and large-scale immigration. The exact time at which this position will be stated by the United States cannot now be determined. This is a question that must for the moment be kept open.
- 3.
- In the event that the United States proposal, described in (2) above, does not elicit the support of two-thirds of the members of the General Assembly, or in the event that it is ascertained beforehand that such a plan will not receive the support of two-thirds of the members of the United Nations, the United States Government will consider at that time which of the following two lines of action should be taken: a) Force a vote in the Ad Hoc Committee on Palestine to demonstrate the absence of support in the United Nations for the majority report of UNSCOP, or b) decide, in the absence of support of two-thirds of the members of the United Nations for the majority report of UNSCOP, to propose an alternate solution which, based on the information available at that time, will elicit the support of two-thirds of the members of the United Nations.
- 4.
- To prepare a tentative draft of the switch position described in (3) above to be submitted by the United States whether the decision is made under (3)a above or (3)b above.
It was the firm, conviction of all those present that the utmost secrecy must attend the United States position and line of action which was this morning decided by the Secretary of State as described above.