501.BB Palestine/3–1648: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the United States Representative at the United Nations (Austin)
us urgent
138. We have reviewed Security Council handling of Palestine problem since your statement of Feb 24 which established basic US thesis that under Charter Security Council must use its powers to maintain international peace and security but that it is not authorized to enforce political decision of partition on people of Palestine.
General line of tactics set forth in Deptel 107, March 5, and proposed statement on situation in Palestine after British withdrawal on May 15 as contained in Deptel 108, March 5, have been approved by the President for use when and if necessary (Deptel 116, March 8).
Following discussion today oh outcome of Big Five consultation and presentation of suggested statement contained in your telegram 291, [Page 729] March 14,1 it seems to us that there will be rapid need of focusing basic issue of whether plan of partition with economic union can be successfully carried out by peaceful means in absence of agreement between Jews and Arabs of Palestine.
It is apparent that situation in Palestine grows daily more fraught with danger to international peace. Security Council must exercise its responsibilities for maintenance of international peace. However, once Council directs its inquiry to security situation in Palestine, if it has not already disposed of issue of partition with economic union, the two questions, although constitutionally separate, will become merged and we will find our efforts to maintain the peace made immensely more difficult because they will be construed by a majority of the people of Palestine as being a covert method of carrying out partition by force.
It is accordingly of the first importance that the Council dispose one way or another of the partition issue. Council has already by its action on March 5 failed to adopt first paragraph of US draft resolution of Feb 25 and thus has in effect tacitly refused to accept the three requests made of it by General Assembly in its resolution of last Nov 29. Issue presently before Council is whether Big Five consultation has or has not produced some new area of agreement which might make possible partition by peaceful means. Since statements summarized in your 291, March 14, clearly reveal that no party to Palestine problem believes partition can be carried out except by use of force it would seem that the necessary conclusions can rapidly be drawn. In this case you should make statement authorized in Deptels 107 and 108 in order that Council may proceed thereupon to consideration of security problem of Palestine divorced from political issue of partition with economic union.
The time factor is imperative and Council must act without delay.
- Not printed; this message, sent by Mr. Rusk to Mr. McClintock, gave the draft text of proposed remarks, to be made by Ambassador Austin before the Security Council, on the consultations during the past week (501.BB Palestine/3–1448).↩