Office of the Historian

McGhee Files: Lot 53 D 468

Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State for United Nations Affairs (Hickerson) and the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs (McGhee) to the Secretary of State1

confidential
[Washington,] May 12, 1951.

Subject: Draft Security Council Resolution on the Syrian-Israeli Dispute.

The Security Council has for the past several weeks been seized with the Syrian-Israeli situation. We now propose that the US along with the UK, France and probably Turkey introduce the draft resolution [Page 680] contained in the attached telegram at the next meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday, May 15. All paragraphs but paragraph three have already been agreed upon by the UK and French delegations, and we expect the concurrence of the Turks. Paragraph three is new and has not been considered by the proposed co-sponsors.

We are bringing the matter to your attention because paragraph three places the basic responsibility for the present Syrian-Israeli dispute on Israel, which we believe to be thoroughly justified by the facts in this case.

Recommendation:

That you approve the inclusion of paragraph three.2

Attachment:

Draft telegram.3

  1. Memorandum drafted by Messrs. Kopper, Stabler, and Ludlow.↩

  2. The Secretary discussed a number of foreign policy issues with the President on May 14. Mr. Acheson’s memorandum of the part of the conversation devoted to Israel follows:

    “I went over with the President the proposed resolution. Our conversation centered on paragraph 3. The President agreed with the view I expressed, which was that this paragraph, certainly in anything like its present form, is unwise.

    “I shall discuss this matter at greater length with Mr. McGhee and Mr. Hickerson.” (Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 65 D 238) No record has been found in Department of State files of any conversation the Secretary may have held with Messrs. McGhee and Hickerson on this subject.

    ↩

  3. In light of the conversation quoted in footnote 2 above, draft was not identical to the draft resolution transmitted to New York in telegram 926, May 14, p. 681.

    However, no copy of a draft resolution with a version of paragraph 3 differing from that in telegram 926 has been found in Department of State files.

    ↩