Foreign Relations of the United States, 1948, The Near East, South Asia, and Africa, Volume V, Part 2

501.BB Palestine/5–2048: Telegram

The United States Representative at the United Nations (Austin) to the Secretary of State ¹

secret
us urgent

New York, May 20, 1948—11:18 a. m.

678. From Ross. Referring to phone talk with Rusk, following are questions I put to Beeley yesterday on personal and confidential basis:

“(A) As we understand it, the present UK position is:

1. To oppose a finding under Article 39 of the Charter that a threat or breach of the peace exists in Palestine;²

2. To continue assistance to Abdullah and other Arab States pending action by the UN which would make such continuance of assistance contrary to UK obligations under the Charter.

(B) These two points seem to be inconsistent and mutually exclusive and suggest a number of questions:

1. Does the UK Government consider that it is premature to take measures which would help put a stop to military action by the Arab States in Palestine?

2. Does the UK Government consider that military action by the Arab States in Palestine should be permitted to continue for the time being?

3. Does the UK Government consider that continuance of such military action would lead to stabilization of the political situation in Palestine?

4. If the answer to question (3) is in the affirmative, in precisely what way does the UK Govt envisage that continuance of such military action might lead to political stability?

5. Does the UK Govt consider that continuance of such military activity, coupled with Jewish resistance, will involve a serious risk that both the military and political situations in Palestine will get completely out of hand?

6. Is the UK Govt taking any specific steps, particularly in its relations with the neighboring Arab States, intended to prevent the situation in Palestine from getting out of hand?

7. With particular reference to relations between the UK Govt and Abdullah, what specific steps, if any, are being taken by the UK Govt which might help prevent the situation in Palestine from getting out of hand?

8. Does the UK Govt have any present views with regard to (a) the continued service of its officers in Abdullah’s army and (b) the continued payment of subsidies to Abdullah?

9. Under what circumstances would the UK Govt consider as appropriate a finding under Article 39 of the Charter that a threat to and/or breach of the peace exists in Palestine?

10. Under what circumstances would the UK Govt consider as appropriate the application of sanctions under Article 41 against (a) the Jewish Provisional Govt. (b) the Arabs of Palestine or the Arab States, or (c) both Jews and Arabs?

11. Under Article 42?

12. To what extent would the UK Govt be prepared to participate in sanctions under Article 41 against (a) Jews, (b) Arabs, (c) both?

13. Under Article 42?

14. In the event of the inability or unwillingness of the SC to deal effectively with a threat to and/or breach of the peace in Palestine does the UK Govt. have any views concerning alternative methods of dealing with the situation?”

• [Ross]
• Austin

1. The Department repeated this communication to London for information in telegram 1836, May 20, 6 p. m.
2. Sir Alexander Cadogan addressed the Security Council on May 19 and outlined the United Kingdom’s grave doubts concerning the invocation of Article 39 in the United States draft resolution. He then submitted a redraft of that resolution, the text of which is printed in SC, 3rd yr., No. 69, p. 6. Ambassador Austin immediately made known the opposition of the United States to the British measure, stating that that measure would transfer the problem out of Chapter 7 of the Charter and into Chapter 6, which dealt with the pacific settlement of disputes (ibid.).