S/P–NSC Files: Lot 61 D 167: NSC 27 Series1
Memorandum by the Deputy Under Secretary of State (Matthews) to the Executive Secretary of the National Security Council (Lay)
Subject; Second Progress Report on NSC 27/3,2 “Provision of a Police Force for Jerusalem”.
NSC 27/3 was approved as Governmental policy on November 24, 1948. It is requested that this Progress Report dated June 28, 1950, be circulated to the members of the Council for their information.
The First Progress Report on NSC 27/3, dated February 28, 1950,3 stated that the establishment of an international regime in Jerusalem, [Page 954] of the type recommended by the General Assembly in its resolutions of November 29, 1947, and December 9, 1949, was unlikely in view of the strong opposition of the Governments of Israel and Jordan to such a regime. The First Progress Report further stated that because of this fact an international police force such as that described in NSC 27/3 would probably not be set up in Jerusalem.
The possibility that a full international regime, and international police force, will be established in Jerusalem has decreased further since the submission of the First Progress Report. The United Nations Trusteeship Council decided on June 14, 1950, to refer the question of an international regime back to the General Assembly without attempting to implement the statute for such a regime which the Council had prepared in accordance with the instructions contained in the General Assembly’s resolution of December 9, 1949. The Council based its decision mainly on the fact that neither Israel nor the Hashemite Kingdom of the Jordan, presently occupying Jerusalem, appeared ready to cooperate in the establishment of an international regime. Under the circumstances the Council was unable to proceed with the implementation of the statute.
The General Assembly will give further consideration to this question at the Fifth Regular Session. In view of the failure of the Trusteeship Council to obtain the cooperation of the occupying powers, and of the fact that the Soviet Union has announced the withdrawal of its support for full internationalization, it is probable that the General Assembly will not again recommend the establishment of a regime such as that called for in 1947 and 1949. It is not likely, therefore, that an international police force such as that described in NSC 27/3 will be set up in Jerusalem. In the event that a force of this nature should be established, however, this Government should continue to be guided by the principles set forth in the conclusions of NSC 27/3.4
- Lot 61 D 167 is a serial file of memoranda relating to National Security Council questions for the years 1950–1961, as maintained by the Policy Planning Staff of the Department of State.↩
- Of November 16, 1948; for text, see Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. v, Part 2, p. 1591.↩
- Not printed; a copy is in S/P–NSC Files, Lot 61 D 167, NSC 27 Series.↩
- On November 7, 1950. Under Secretary of State Webb submitted a “Third and Final Progress Report on NSC 27/3, ‘Provision of a Police Force for Jerusalem’” to Mr. Lay. Webb stressed the continued disinclination of the United Nations to “put into effect a regime for Jerusalem of the type which would require the establishment of an international police force as envisaged in NSC 27/3”, and therefore concluded that action contemplated by NSC 27/3 “will not be necessary in the circumstances. Progress reports are therefore being discontinued” (S/P–NSC Files, Lot 61 D 167, NSC 27 Series). At its 75th meeting on December 14, the National Security Council took note of the third and final progress report on NSC 27/3 without further action or discussion (S/S–NSC (Miscellaneous) Files, Lot 66 D 95, NSC Records of Action). Lot 66 D 95 contains administrative and miscellaneous National Security Council documentation, including NSC Records of Action, as maintained by the Executive Secretariat of the Department of State for the years 1947–1963.↩