501.BB Palestine/10–2847
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs (Merriam) to the Director of the Office of Near Eastern and African Affairs (Henderson)
New York has revised the detailed position paper on the UNSCOP majority report1 to “bring it in line” with our proposal that the transition period be shortened to July 1, 1948.
[Page 1215]Actually you will see from Miss McCown’s memo attached2 that New York has gone much further than a mere revision to conform to a shorter transitional period.
Inasmuch as our recent experience indicates that New York, in requesting our comments seems to expect a rubber stamp, and ignores even the most strenuous objections, it would appear useless to send any detailed revisions. If you approve I will inform Mr. Wilkins what our reaction is in general to the revisions, but leave it to New York to make any detailed revision, if they should desire to give consideration to our objections.3
- See memorandum of October 24, p. 1202.↩
- Undated memorandum by D. Beatrice McCown of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs, not printed. The memorandum began with: “The Palestine Committee of the US Delegation to the UN appears to have felt itself completely free to ignore the revisions suggested by, and approved in, the Department with respect to the Majority Plan. In fact, they are proposing changes which would be so far reaching in ultimate effect in Palestine that a major policy decision is involved.” The substance of Miss McCown’s analysis in the remainder of the memorandum was incorporated in Mr. Merriam’s letter of October 30 to Mr. Wilkins, p. 1217.↩
- Mr. Henderson expressed his approval in a marginal notation.↩