Office of the Historian

501.BB Palestine/6–1248: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Consulate General at Jerusalem

secret   us urgent
niact
Washington, June 12, 1948—1 p. m.

587. Please obtain urgently from Bernadotte who we understand is now in Jerusalem clarification of use which he would like to make of 3 vessels suitable for coastal patrol service requested in his letter June 10 to US Emb Cairo.1

Important that we have as much detailed info as he may be able to give re intended use these vessels. In particular we would like to know whether he contemplates that officers and crews will engage in boarding and searching other vessels or whether these vessels are merely to be used by observers as means of transport.2 Cairo or Haifa should take action if he should happen to be in one those cities.

Sent Jerusalem as Depts 587 rptd Cairo as Depts 779 Haifa as Depts 139, and USUN New York as Depts 389.

Marshall
  1. Summarized by Cairo in telegram 729, June 11, 3 p. m., not printed (501.BB Palestine/6–1148).↩
  2. Haifa replied, on June 13, as follows: “Count Bernadotte states that vessels are to be used only for patrol purposes, giving warning of the approach of any shipping. The officers and crew will not engage in boarding and search. The vessels may he used for water transportation of observers.” (Telegram 149, 501.BB Palestine/6–1348)

    New York, on June 11, transmitted a message from Secretary-General Lie embodying an urgent request from Count Bernadotte for three small planes and crews to carry his personnel quickly to any part of the truce area (telegram 773, 501.BB Palestine/6–1148). Mr. McClintock, in a marginal notation, advised that he had arranged with the Air Force on June 11 to send two C–45’s, from Germany to Cairo and had spoken with the Navy about the loan of a Navy plane.

    ↩