Office of the Historian

501.BB Palestine/10–947

Memorandum by Major General John H. Hilldring to the Secretary of State

top secret
[New York,] October 9, 1947.

I talked to Mr. Lovett a few minutes ago about the Palestine statement.1 Mr. Lovett informed me that the President approved the statement and in view of the shortness of time, did not ask for any change in the language. However, the President informed Mr. Lovett that he wanted the United States Delegation to understand clearly

a)
That with respect to financial and economic aid to Palestine, it should be understood that the United States would contribute its part only under the auspices of the United Nations and that no direct United States contribution should be looked for; and
b)
That we are not going to pick up the present United Kingdom responsibility for the maintenance of law and order in Palestine ourselves, but that any contribution we might make toward the preservation of law and order in Palestine would again be a contribution under our United Nations obligation and as a part of a United Nations police force or constabulary; and
c)
That likewise with respect to any commitment in the use of United States forces these again could only be made available as part of a United Nations force made necessary by any obligation we might have as a member of the United Nations.

Mr. Lovett made the suggestion that he believed the President would be happier if we made it crystal clear in our Palestine statement that our suggestion about a constabulary was intended to mean a contribution to a police force or constabulary organized by or administered by the United Nations to which the United States contributed only its proportionate share.2

I will, therefore, between now and 9:15 tomorrow morning, attempt to improve the language of the appropriate paragraph for the consideration of the delegation.

J[ohn] H. H[illdring]
  1. The proposed statement to be made by Ambassador Johnson; for the substance of the statement actually made by the Ambassador on October 11, see the editorial note, p. 1180. The text was agreed on at the meeting of the U.S. Delegation during the morning of October 9 and was transmitted to the Department in telegram Delga 26 the same day (501 Delga telegrams—1947).

    The earliest draft of the proposed statement found by the editors in Department of State files was sent to USUN in telegram 415, September 23, 2 p. m. (501.BB Palestine/9–2347). The telegram was drafted in NE and was signed by Acting Secretary Lovett. There ensued various telephonic and written exchanges, as well as personal conferences, between the Department and the Delegation, culminating in the version transmitted in Delga 26. According to telegram 461, October 9, 4 p. m., to New York, President Truman approved this version (501.BB Palestine/10–947).

    Thereafter, according to telegram Gadel 25, October 9, to New York, the Department requested a minor deletion which was agreed to by the Delegation at its morning meeting on October 10 (501 Gadel telegrams—1947). The final version was telegraphed to the Department in Delga 28, October 10, 12:48 p. m. The Department transmitted the text by circular telegram. October 10 [11?], 1 a. m., to London, Jerusalem, and the Arab capitals (501.BB Palestine/10–1047).

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  2. Mr. Lovett conveyed to New York, in telegram 461, October 9, 4 p. m., the gist of the four last paragraphs to this point. The message also expressed his desire “to make it clear that second sentence of para. 9 [of the proposed statement] applies to a local police force and not to organized troop units. Term ‘constabulary’ might be confused with highly militarized constabulary now employed by U.S. in Germany.” (501.BB Palestine/10–947)↩