Office of the Historian

684A.85/12–1951: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Embassy in France 1

confidential
Washington, December 21, 1951—7:28 p. m.

3635. Dept increasingly concerned over recent reports from Tel Aviv of incidents on Syrian-Israel and Jordan-Israel borders, continuing failure Syrian-Israel MAC to meet (Gadel 512)2 and deteriorating relations in Jordan-Israel MAC. This latter connection suggest you inform Riley re Tel Aviv Embtel 599 Dec 19.3

Dept interested Riley’s comments recent reports from Tel Aviv and hopes he will give consideration returning Palestine soonest when his services no longer required Paris. FYI since US position re Pal question does not foresee Riley appointment as Agent Gen and improbable near future SC will be called on consider Huleh problem, wld appear nothing prevents Riley’s early return to deal with deteriorating Armistice sitn.

Acheson
  1. Drafted by Mr. Waldo; cleared with UNP; repeated for information to Tel Aviv, Amman, Damascus, Beirut, and Cairo.↩
  2. The same as telegram 246 to Damascus, December 19, p. 968.↩
  3. Not printed; it summarized a report in the Jerusalem Post of December 19 that the Israeli delegate on the Israel–Jordan Mixed Armistice Commission withdrew from the Commission’s December 18 meeting in order to prevent a vote on a change of the border line in the Qalqiliya area which would have transferred to Jordan’s control 100 dunams of Israeli territory (684A.85/12–1951).↩