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

501.BB Palestine/2–2148

Memorandum by Mr. Samuel K. C. Kopper ¹ to the United States Representative at the United Nations (Austin)²

secret

[New York,] February 21, 1948.

Since I arrived in New York on Monday, I have had conversations with several of the principal Arab delegates to the UN. These delegates include Faris Bey el Khouri (Syria), Camille Chamoun (Lebanon), Charles Malik (Lebanon), Fawzi Bey (Egypt), and Jamal el-Kourdagy (Syria). The following points are of interest particularly since they seem to appear in the observations expressed by most of these delegates on the Palestine question.

1. The Arab States believe that the United Nations has by no means exhausted the processes of conciliation. Indeed they feel strongly that conciliation has hardly been touched. Concurrently with this view they believe that reconsideration of the Palestine question is necessary in order to bring to bear methods of conciliation.

2. There are definite indications that the Arab States still believe that proposals (such as the plan placed before the General Assembly by Camille Chamoun on November 2.9)³ offer real hope and constitute substantial suggestions as to the manner in which the Palestine question might be equitably solved. Suggestions of this character are classified by Fawzi Bey as “middle courses” looking toward a settlement of the Palestine question.

3. While the Arab States could not publicly espouse such a course, I am convinced that they would be willing to accept the establishment of a trusteeship over all Palestine provided that the terms of such a trusteeship could be most explicit and clear, and also that substantial authority could remain in the hands of the peoples of Palestine themselves in order that they might become experienced in the art of self-government. They would probably accept the trusteeship only if it appeared that conciliation and middle courses would not be successful.

4. In so far as the question of immigration is concerned, I think there has been a substantial revision of the attitude of the Arab delegates on this question. During the General Assembly this was a stumbling block of a most serious nature. While the Arab States could not at this juncture come out for liberal provisions on immigration in an independent state or a trusteeship, it seems quite clear to me from statements made by representatives of Syria, Lebanon and Egypt that the Arab States would be willing in the process of the UN’s seeking a revised solution to accept important compromises on this problem. In other words, the Arab States secretly seem willing to go much further on the question of immigration if the terms regarding future immigration could be explicit and if it appeared that there was no possibility of the establishment of an independent Jewish state.

5. The Arab States will regard the shipment of arms to the Jewish militia alone as an attack against the Arabs in Palestine and not as a constructive step toward the solution of the Palestine question.

6. The Arab States staunchly maintain that the United Nations does not possess the power to enforce simple recommendations of the General Assembly. In this connection they repeatedly refer to the position of the USSR vis-à-vis Korea, Northern Greece, the Interim Committee and other matters. The Arabs inquire why the UN has not sought to enforce its recommendations on these cases. More recently they have pointed out that the Security Council has ignored the recommendations of the General Assembly with regard to membership.

7. The Arab States more than ever feel that the United States was primarily responsible for the adoption by the General Assembly of the partition plan. As a corollary to this, they feel that any further United Nations action will depend entirely upon the US position. The role of the Soviet Union is discounted since they think it is quite clear that in general the Soviet Union is not able to muster any support outside of its satellite states.

There are a number of other points of less importance which have been brought up during my discussions with the representatives of the Arab States. However, in the interest of brevity I have omitted them.

Samuel K. C. Kopper

1. On detail to the United States Mission at the United Nations.
2. Copies forwarded to Messrs. Henderson, Rusk, and McClintock and other officers of the Department.
3. See telegram 1274, December 1, 1947, from New York, Foreign Relations, 1947, vol. v, p. 1293.