501.BB Palestine/2–2748: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the United States Representative at ths United Nations (Austin)
us urgent
98. Secretary Marshall made the following statement on Palestine at his press conference Feb. 26:
“I tell you now I will not answer detailed questions on Palestine because there must be no confusion between Ambassador Austin and myself as to what is being stated and any statement will be made from there rather than from here.”
Following for Ambassador Austin’s confidential information only. Secretary Marshall then made the following statement completely Off the record: “I will tell you this: That so far as I am concerned and the State Dept is concerned, but particularly so far as I am concerned, that in this highly emotional period of extreme bitterness and violent attacks, my intention is to see that nothing is done by the State Dept in guidance for the action of its delegates to the United Nations, in response to either military threats or political threats, one or the other, nothing whatever. My intention is to see that the action of the US Govt is to be on a plane of integrity that will bear inspection and a common review and that there will be no bending to [Page 666] any military threat or to any political threat so long as I am Secretary of State. End of off the record.”1
- At this, point, in the official memorandum of the
press and radio news conference appears the following: “Asked why
this comment could not he made public, Mr. Marshall said that we had
enough troubles already. He said such a statement would have to be
cleared with the President. Asked if he was speaking of
international political threats, the Secretary replied that he meant
exactly what he said.… Citing the fact that Mr. Austin’s statement
on Palestine had been subjected to many interpretations, a
correspondent asked if the Department planned to interpret the
statement either before Congress or through a further statement. The
Secretary replied that the Department intended to leave matters
almost entirely to Mr. Austin so that there would be no confusion in
expressions and sentences used.”
The Secretary concluded his observations on Palestine with a denial that the Arab League nations had sent a note to the State Department stating that Arab countries would withdraw oil concessions if the United States pushed partition (News Division Files).
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