501.BB Palestine/5–248
The Secretary of State to the Australian Ambassador (Makin)
My Dear Mr. Ambassador: I should be grateful if you would transmit the following message to Dr. Evatt:1
“The President has asked me to reply to the message2 which you were good enough to send him in respect to the problem of Palestine, [Page 988] The President and I appreciate the high purpose which motivated you to offer your assistance in arranging a meeting between the leaders of the three great powers for the purpose of settling this and other problems which threaten the maintenance of peace.
“It is the view of the United States Government that the current situation in Palestine is such that the most urgent problem is to prevent the spread of armed conflict which threatens to cost the lives of countless Jews and Arabs. The United States Government is making strenuous efforts in the Special Assembly to prevent further bloodshed.
“With respect to the possibility of a three-power meeting, you are doubtless aware of the initiative taken by the Government of the United States in the series of conferences that were held with the British and Soviet Governments in an effort to find solutions for the problems arising out of the war. The British and the United States Governments made every effort in a spirit of genuine cooperation to meet the point of view of the Soviet Government in order that settlement might be reached on the most pressing of these problems, so necessary to enable the peoples of the world to devote their energies to the tasks of reconstruction. The developments that followed conferences at Teheran, Yalta, and Potsdam, as well as the many meetings held for the purpose of negotiating the peace treaties, show clearly that agreements reached with the Soviet Government on paper do not in themselves constitute a solution. It is apparent that certain conditions must come into being before a genuine settlement can be achieved. As I recently stated to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United States House of Representatives, the underlying problem in the immediate future, in our opinion, is to bring about as quickly as possible the restoration of economic, social and political health in the world and to give to the peoples of the world a sense of security, which is essential for them to carry on the task of recovery. The Government of the United States maintains normal diplomatic relations with the Government of the Soviet Union and is always ready to examine with the greatest objectivity any proposals put forward by the Soviet Government. The United States Government is constantly endeavoring to advance constructive proposals in the United Nations and elsewhere whenever there appears to be an opportunity for progress to be made. We do not believe, however, that in the present circumstances a meeting of the Heads of Government would serve a useful purpose. On the contrary, since it would dramatically raise the hopes of the peoples of the world, its probable failure under existing conditions would result in a very depressing reaction which would make the moves for eventual solution of the many problems all the more difficult.”
You will have seen the reports of the recent interview between the American Ambassador in Moscow and the Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as the statements made to the press by the President [Page 989] and myself concerning this matter. I believe these statements make clear the position of this Government.3
Faithfully yours,
- Herbert V. Evatt, Australian Minister for External Affairs.↩
- Dr. Evatt’s message was incorporated in a letter of May 2 from Ambassador Makin to President Truman, not printed. The President, on May 3, read to Mr. Lovett excerpts which “proposed that the only way to save the Palestine situation would be by direct intervention of the Great Powers—thus including the USSR. The President shared my [Mr. Lovett’s] view that such a proposal was preposterous.” (Memorandum of conversation by Mr. Lovett, 501.BB Palestine/5–348)↩
- For documentation on these matters, see vol. iv, pp. 822–857, passim.↩