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

501.BB Palestine/6–1148: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Embassy in Egypt

top secret

Washington, June 16, 1948—5 p. m.

799. (1) We have no objection to detail by British of a few officers to assist Count Bernadotte in a technical capacity with regard to conditions in Palestine and have so indicated to British Embassy here, which on June 14 gave us information identical to that set forth in your 759, June 14, 6 p. m.¹

(2) Dept will today formally request Secretary of Defense for loan of 3 destroyers for patrol purposes as requested by Bernadotte in your telegram 729, June 11, 3 p. m.² Conditions under which vessels will be made available to Bernadotte form subject of separate telegram.

(3) As indicated Deptel 771, June 11,³ once Bernadotte is established on Rhodes and has direct communication with Lake Success, we will look to Secretary General to be main channel of communications between us and Bernadotte. However, if Col. Bonde⁴ remains in charge of military observer group with headquarters in Cairo we shall expect him to use Embassy, Cairo, as main line of communications with Dept.

[Here follows paragraph numbered 4, which evaluated a member of Count Bernadotte’s staff.] Repeated to USUN as 399, London as 2246.

Marshall

1. Not printed. The message stated that “British detailed to Bernadotte few officers experienced in Palestine to act in a technical capacity in orienting UN observers, most of whom had no Palestine experience. Such technical officers could, for example, advise observers concerning the geography of a given area, the existence or nonexistence of airports, et cetera. They would in no event enter Palestine” (501.BB Palestine/6–1448).
2. Not printed; see footnote 1, p. 1111.
3. Not printed.
4. Thorde Bonde, a Swedish army officer and Chief of Staff to Count Bernadotte. He informed Chargé Patterson that the Mediator’s civilian secretariat would for the most part have its headquarters on Rhodes and would have to do with making peace. Colonel Bonde also informed the Chargé that the Cairo group, headed by himself, would be concerned with implementing the cease-fire and truce agreement and assuring that its provisions were not violated (telegram 759 from Cairo).