Office of the Historian

USUN Files: Jerusalem, 1950–1958

Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. Edward P. Maffitt, Adviser to the United States Mission at the United Nations

confidential
[New York,] June 13, 1950.

Subject: Status of Jerusalem

Participants: Mr. Stuart W. Rockwell—ANE
Mr. Edward P. Maffitt—USUN

I telephoned Stuart Rockwell this morning and inquired what the Department’s thinking is regarding the next steps to get the Jerusalem matter settled by the end of the next GA. I referred to the New York Times report of May 31 that the Vatican opposes Israel’s new proposal and I asked whether the Department plans to explore the possibilities stemming from the Israeli proposal and to do anything about the Vatican’s attitude, especially with the Latin American group.

Rockwell replied that orders from the White House are that the United States, having got its knuckles rapped in the 4th GA, now take a back seat in this matter. “Let someone else take the lead”. He added that the Department, of course, has no objection to discussing the Jerusalem matter between now and the 5th GA, but will require that someone else bring the matter up. I caterwauled a little and asked if this means that we not endeavor to guide some thinking up here, particularly with respect to the Latin American Delegations. I said I thought we might do some good work if we knew what we could say and if what we could say was constructive. I foresaw an unholy mess in the Assembly if we reach it without having cleared some ground around a prepared position. Rockwell agreed but did not [Page 928] see what we could do about it just now. He said it was entirely possible that the 5th Assembly would be unable to reach a conclusion because of a too close balance in voting power between disagreeing groups.

The White House orders are clear enough, but I wonder whether we might not have something we could put our hands on later in the summer. It is inconceivable to me that we should sit quietly and let this thing stew up into a witch’s brew in the Assembly. This is an issue Mr. Ross might talk about when he goes down to the Department some time.