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

501.BB Palestine/11–3048: Telegram

The Acting Chairman of the United States Delegation at Paris (Dulles) to the Secretary of State

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Paris, November 30, 1948—1 p. m.

Delga 996. US and UK delegates have agreed, as result conversations between Ambassador Douglas and British Foreign Office (Delga 905, November 24 and Delga 925 November 25¹) on following changes in revised text UK draft resolution on Palestine in Committee One:

1. Deletion of paragraph two of UK revised text.

2. Inclusion of paragraph two of US amendment reworded as follows: “Calls upon the governments and authorities concerned to extend the scope of the negotiation provided for in the SC resolution of 16 November and to seek agreement by negotiation conducted either thru the conciliation commission or directly with a view to a final settlement of all questions outstanding between them”.

3. Transposition of new paragraph two of British text with paragraph three of British text.

4. Rewording of paragraph four of UK draft as follows:

“Four. Instructs the conciliation commission in pursuance of paragraph 2(c) above to enter into consultations with the governments and authorities concerned with a view to delimiting the frontiers in Palestine, taking into account the following general considerations, without excluding any territorial settlement mutually acceptable to the parties:

a. That there are important elements common to both the resolution of the GA of 29 November 1947 and the progress report of the UN mediator on Palestine;

b. That certain modifications in the territorial arrangements of the GA resolution of 29 November 1947 should be considered taking into account part I, section VIII, paragraph 4(b) of the progress report of the UN Mediator as a contribution to a peaceful adjustment, based on reciprocity and mutual interest, of differences between the parties;”

Comment: It is expected that US delegate in explaining the added words in Committee One would make clear that the idea is that no party can have merely the most advantageous features of both November 29 resolution and Bernadotte report; but that additions to November 29 territory would presumably, by way of reciprocity, call for some reciprocal offset.

5. Addition of new paragraph reading as follows: “Instructs the conciliation commission to seek arrangements among the governments and authorities concerned which will facilitate the economic development of the area, including arrangements for access to ports and airfields and the use of transportation and communications facilities; in this connection, the conclusions contained in part I, section VIII, paragraphs 4(e) and (f) of the progress report of the UN Mediator should be taken into account.”

Comment: The addition of foregoing paragraph was condition of British agreement to deletion of their paragraph numbered 2 and is intended to cover reference to Haifa and Lydda which were not formerly covered by specific paragraphs in British revised draft but were held to be taken care of by endorsement of Bernadotte’s specific conclusions under British paragraph numbered 2.

6. Discussions now taking place regarding revised wording paragraph ten on Arab refugees, with regard to which agreement expected this morning.²

7. UKDel plans submit new revised text Palestine draft resolution this afternoon including all foregoing change.

8. USDel plans, thereafter, withdraw its amendments to former UK revised draft.³

Sent Department Delga 996, repeated London 1390.

Dulles

1. Neither printed; the former gave the text of the United States amendments to the British draft resolution of November 18 (see editorial note, p. 1623 and footnote 2 to telegram Delga 797, p. 1603); the latter gave the revised text of the British draft resolution of November 24 (see GA, 3rd sess., Pt. I, First Committee, Annexes, 1948, p. 58).
2. The agreed wording appeared as paragraph 11 in the second revised British draft resolution; for text of this draft resolution, dated November 30, see GA, 3rd sess., Pt. I, First Committee, Annexes, 1948, p. 61.
3. Mr. Rusk, in a statement before the First Committee on December 1, said that the new British draft resolution took full account of suggestions made by the United States Delegation and others and that the United States supported the new British draft (GA, 3rd sess., Pt. I, Summary Records, 1948, p. 835). The new draft eliminated the paragraph endorsing the specific conclusions of the Bernadotte report and made attendance changes.