Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, The Near East, South Asia, and Africa, Volume V

320.2AA/1–3050

Memorandum by the Secretary of State to the President

Washington, January 30, 1950.

Subject: Proposed legislation for Palestine Refugees.

Attached is a draft of a proposed letter from you to the Vice President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives¹ requesting early enactment of proposed legislation enabling the United States to participate in and contribute to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. You are already familiar with this program for which budgetary provision has been made. As hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are scheduled for January 31st, the submission of legislation is a matter of urgency.

The Bureau of the Budget has approved the draft legislation,² copies of which are attached to this memorandum, and has also indicated its approval of an approach to the Congress along the lines of the enclosed draft.

Dean Acheson

1. Undated draft not printed; President Truman, on January 30, sent the draft, with minor language changes, in the form of identical letters to Alben W. Barkley, President of the Senate, and Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the House. The text of the letters is printed in the Department of State Bulletin, February 13, 1950, p. 260. The message contained the President’s recommendation that the Congress authorize and appropriate $27,450,000 for American participation in the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East for an 18-month period. The proposed appropriation was to be one-half of the cost of the project.
2. The draft legislation was in the form of a joint resolution, dated January 3, not printed.