320/12–1950: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the United States Representative at the United Nations (Austin)
Gadel 188. For Hall.1 Re Delga 452, Dec 19,2 agree that Lebanon’s contributions have been substantial. Leb must admit however that UN [Page 1077] program will fail if Arab states, who have special regional interest, limit their future contributions to their percentages regular UN budget. It must be obvious that states with such special interests must continue to make up deficits that will arise from lack of support from Russia and satellites, China, and other countries who have shown no interest in program. US and UK will find it impossible to meet such deficit in its entirety. Must look to Lebanon and other Arab states to contribute thru UNRWA several times their regular annual UN budget assessments.
- William O. Hall, Director of the Office of International Administration and Conferences.↩
- Not printed; it gave the text of a letter sent by the Lebanese Delegation to the Chairman of the Negotiating Committee, which stated that the Lebanese Government had financed without outside assistance the relief of Palestinian refugees from their arrival on April 27, 1948, until January 21, 1949, at a cost of $2,466,760. Since the latter date, when UN aid began, Lebanon had allocated $897,775, a sum equivalent to 40 times the Lebanese contribution to the UN budget. These figures did not include estimates for various services performed for the refugees. The letter concluded that Lebanese contributions were greatly in excess of the country’s means and requested that its future contributions should be fixed at the percentage of its contribution to the UN budget. (320/12–1950)↩