501.BB Palestine/1–649.
Memorandum by the Director of the Office of Near Eastern and African Affairs (Satterthwaite) to the Under Secretary of State (Lovett)
Subject: Developments concerning Palestine
Discussion:
An officer of the British Embassy informed us this afternoon that the Embassy had been instructed by Mr. Bevin to tell the State Department that on December 30 King Ibn Saud1 had stated to the British Minister in Jidda that in view of the General Assembly resolution of December 11 calling for negotiations between the parties to the Pales tine dispute, the time had come for the US and the UK to put pressure on both sides to reach a quick final settlement, under the threat of the most severe economic sanctions. The King asked that no other Arab [Page 621] leaders be informed of this statement on his part, as he had not informed any of them that he was going to take such action. In speaking thus to the British Minister the King said that he was motivated by the fear that the present conflict would facilitate the spread of Communism in the Near East.
Mr. Bevin’s comment on this was that it pointed out the necessity of a firm US–UK agreement on boundaries in Palestine and the use of the influence of the US and UK to persuade both parties to reach a final agreement.
The British Embassy officer also stated that a RAF reconnaissance on January 4 showed a party of thirty Israeli troops still occupying a strong point within Egyptian territory six miles west of El Auja. Photographs taken on this reconnaissance revealed that an anti-tank ditch had been bulldozed across the road one mile west of the strong point and five miles inside Egypt. Three anti-tank guns were observed in position at the strong point.
- Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, King of Saudi Arabia.↩