Office of the Historian

501.BB Palestine/6–949: Circular airgram

The Acting Secretary of State to Certain Diplomatic Offices 1

secret
Washington, June 9, 1949—9:10 a. m.

We transmitted to Ethridge, our rep on UN Palestine Conciliation Comm, as well as to our reps in Jerusalem and Amman,2 our further comments on our suggestion that PCC appoint a rep to chair meetings of special comm. of Israeli-Jordanian reps, with ultimate power of arbiter. We stated our suggestion based on need for peaceful solution, failure of current efforts to negotiate agreement for Jerusalem, and offer of impartial procedure which would result in solution based on equity and having backing of international community. We feel would be difficult under this procedure for parties to reject our suggestion. With reference suggestion our rep in Amman3 that our suggested procedure be adopted except for omission of arbitral function, we feel arbitration should be attempted and, if unfruitful, it would be possible to recede from this position. We also believe that suggestion that Lausanne conference deal with Jerusalem problem4 as a whole would be acceptable if PCC has necessary technical info and if it desires take on these added negotiations.

Webb
  1. This airgram, although prepared as a circular message, was sent only to the Embassy in the United Kingdom.↩
  2. In Unpal 139, June 7, to Bern, p. 1093.↩
  3. As sent in telegram 233, June 4, 3 p. m., not printed.↩
  4. This suggestion had been made in telegram 233 from Amman.↩