501.BB Palestine/12–1749
Memorandum by the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs ( Hare ) to the Secretary of State
Subject: Message to Israeli Government Concerning Jerusalem.
Discussion:
You will recall that we had anticipated that at your Press Conference on December 14 you would be asked concerning the attitude of this Government on the move to transfer the Israeli Government from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in opposition to the General Assembly Resolution of December 9. We had suggested that you might wish to state that in the opinion of the United States Government it would be most unfortunate if any of the parties interested in Jerusalem took action which would prejudice or complicate the settlement of the Jerusalem question. However, none of the correspondents present asked this question, and the Israeli Government has so far not received any official indication of our reaction to Prime Minister Ben Gurion’s declaration in the Knesset on December 13 urging the Knesset to move to Jerusalem or to the subsequent removal of the Prime Minister’s office from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Neither the General Assembly Resolution of November 29, 1947, nor the draft statute for Jerusalem prepared by the Trusteeship Council in the Spring of 1948 specifically prohibited the establishment of the capital of Israel in Jerusalem. The General Assembly Resolution of December 9, 1949, again does not contain any such specific prohibition. Arrangements for the transfer of the capital to Jerusalem might eventually be worked out with the United Nations in the Trusteeship Council, but unilateral establishment of the capital in Jerusalem at [Page 1548] this particular time will undoubtedly be construed as contrary to the spirit of the Resolution of December 9 and as open opposition by Israel to the United Nations.
Following the General Assembly’s adoption of its Resolution of December 9, the Department instructed its representative in Tel Aviv to urge upon the Israelis the importance of preventing any statements or action which would inflame the situation in the Near East, particularly in view of current Israeli conversations with Jordan and the Vatican1 (Tab A). This message apparently had little effect on the Israeli Government.
Under the circumstances, it is considered desirable that the Israeli Government be informed of our attitude on the latest developments concerning Jerusalem, and the attached telegram has been drafted. (Tab B)
Recommendations:
It is recommended that you sign the attached telegram.2
[Here follows the concurrence of the Office of the Special Assistant for Press Relations.]