Office of the Historian

867N.48/5–2449

Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations (Gross) to the Acting Secretary of State 1

[Washington,] May 24, 1949.

Subject: Discussion with Senators Connally and Vandenberg Regarding the Palestine Kef ugee Problem.

George McGhee and I met with Senators Connally and Vandenberg2 on the afternoon of May 23 to outline the problem which was discussed with you on Friday. McGhee made a good presentation. The reaction of the Senators was, however, far from enthusiastic and it is quite clear that we may expect to have tough sledding with the proposition when it is ready for submission.

I told the Senators that this was simply a “reporting mission” on our part and that we were not contemplating the submission of any further Palestine refugee program for action at this session. Senator Vandenberg was somewhat more outspoken than Senator Connally in questioning the validity of the program, but both repeatedly asked how we could justify action which, in effect underwrote the situation brought about by the taking of houses and land away from the Arabs by the Israelis. This line of questioning suggests the great importance of making certain that in working out any arrangements involving the granting of funds by the United States, we must insist that the Israeli [Page 1049] government does its full part and makes appropriate contribution to the solution of the problem.

  1. Secretary Acheson was at Paris attending the Sixth Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, which met from May 23 to June 20.↩
  2. Tom Connally, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and Arthur H. Vandenberg, ranking Republican member of the same committee.↩