Office of the Historian

501.AA/7–2248: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Acting United States Representative at the United Nations (Jessup)

Washington, July 29, 1948—7 p. m.

489. Reurtel 939 July 22.1 You may answer inquiries by saying we would support an application by Israel. There is, however, no effective deadline for SC approval of applications for GA action this autumn, except end of session of GA itself. Thus in 1946, Siamese application was, at Siamese request, considered and approved by SC on December 12 and approved by GA on December 15, last day of session.2

Our position re Israeli qualifications (Art. 4) is that Israel is a peace-loving State that accepts and is able and willing to carry out obligations of Charter. We assume that Israeli application, when submitted, will contain formal undertaking to that effect in accordance with SC Rule 58 and GA Rule 1283 In our opinion, Part I, F, of Partition [Page 196] Resolution of 29 November 1947 would not preclude present admission of Israel.4

Marshall
  1. In an approach to the Acting US: Representative on July 22, Mr. Abba Eban, observer for the Provisional Government of Israel at the United Nations, had raised the question of Israel’s application for membership in the United Nations. Mr. Jessup had requested the comments of the Department of State.↩
  2. For documentation on this matter, see Foreign Relations, 1946, vol. i, pp. 357 ff.↩
  3. For a summary of the 1947 change in rules governing the procedure for the applicant for admission, see United Nations, Yearbook of the United Nations, 1947–48, pp. 489 ff. Applicant states were now required to submit a declaration adhering to “the obligations contained in the Charter” before acceptance in the Organization, rather than after as previously.↩
  4. For documentation regarding the General Assembly Resolution of November 29, 1947, see Foreign Relations, 1947, vol. v, pp. 999 ff. The section in question stated that “sympathetic consideration” would be given both to the Arab state and the Jewish state in their applications for admission to the United Nations. The November 29 resolution had envisioned the partition of Palestine into two such states.↩