501.BB Palestine/12–1047
Memorandum by the Acting Secretary
of State to President Truman
top secret
Washington, December 10,
1947.
Ambassador O’Neal at Manila has asked1 that you be
informed of a conversation which he had on November 30, 1947 with
President Roxas concerning the Philippine vote in the United Nations on
the Palestine partition question.
As you will recall, the Philippine Delegate to the United Nations,
Ambassador Romulo, in an address before the General Assembly
[Page 1306]
of the United Nations on
November 26, 1947 indicated that the Philippines would vote against
Palestine partition. When the vote was taken, however, on November 29,
the Philippines voted in favor of partition.
In his telegram, Ambassador O’Neal reports that President Roxas stated
that he had instructed the Philippine Delegation to change its position
and vote in favor of partition because of his fear, based on a report
from Ambassador Elizalde and a telegram from some ten United States
Senators, that a vote against partition would have an adverse effect on
United States-Philippine relations.
A statement of the substance of Ambassador O’Neal’s telegram2 and of the Department’s
reply3 thereto is attached.
[Annex]
Ambassador O’Neal’s telegram is to the following effect:
President Roxas stated that he was greatly disturbed over the
position in which he had been placed with regard to the
Palestine question. He had received a report from Ambassador
Elizalde that a “United States representative” had intimated
that failure to support the United States position on the
Palestine question might have an adverse effect upon
Philippine-American relations. President Roxas had also
received a “high-pressure telegram” signed by some ten
United States Senators.
When queried by President Roxas, Ambassador Romulo had
replied that he had been in close touch with the United
States representatives at the United Nations, that these
representatives had never intimated a desire that he support
the United States position, that his instructions were to
use his own judgment and that to reverse his position at
that time would be extremely embarrassing and would be
certain to renew the charge that the Philippines was a mere
puppet of the United States.
President Roxas said that the Palestine question was
important to him because of the considerable Mohammedan
population in the Philippines. He added that he had never
been approached by the American Embassy at Manila with
regard to the subject. Nevertheless, fearing a Senate
hostile group, he was wiring Ambassador Romulo to reverse
his position and asked Ambassador O’Neal to write to the
President explaining the situation.
Ambassador O’Neal added that he was sure President Roxas
feels that he has been placed in an unfair and damaging
position and that he desires to cooperate in full with the
United States on all major questions.
In reply to this telegram, the Department has requested Ambassador
O’Neal to inform President Roxas that this Government had supported
Palestine partition as the best answer to the problem on the basis
of a majority recommendation by the United Nations Special
[Page 1307]
Committee on Palestine;
that the Department considered that United Nations Members had a
right to their own convictions on the subject and had a right to
vote in accordance with those convictions; that the way in which a
Member voted was not so important as the maintenance of the freedom
to vote in accordance with belief; and that it was important that
the solution reached should have the genuine support of a majority
of the Assembly of the United Nations. The United States Delegation
at the United Nations had accordingly publicly stated that: this
Government favored the proposed partition of Palestine but had not
sought to bring pressure in the matter on any Government and does
not regard failure by any Government to support the plan as an
indication of unfriendliness to the United States. These views had
been expressed to the representatives of the various Governments at
the United Nations, The Department was not able to understand the
report from Ambassador Elizalde concerning the attitude of a “United
States representative” referred to by President Roxas and desired
additional information and an indication of the identity of the
person involved.
The Department has also requested Ambassador O’Neal to inform
President Roxas of this Government’s surprise that he should have
entertained any doubt with regard to the effect which a vote on the
Palestine question would have on United States–Philippine relations.
He was also requested to indicate this Government’s appreciation of
the Philippine Government’s known desire to cooperate with the
United States on major problems.
The Department added for Ambassador O’Neal’s confidential information
that Ambassador Elizalde’s attitude might reflect in part his own
estimate of the possible effect which an adverse Philippine vote on
partition might have on the extension of additional financial
assistance to the Philippines by the United States Congress.4
