The Secretary of State to President Roosevelt 66
The Foreign Relations Committee insisted that I appear this morning on five minutes notice to testify on the Palestine Resolution. Senator Connally telephoned me himself saying that unless I came up and made an official statement to the Committee for the Administration saying we thought this legislation was unwise at the present time, it would be immediately voted out favorably and we would have to take the responsibility. He said he had gone as far as he could.
I immediately went over and testified in secret session of the Committee, making clear that this was a highly delicate matter; that I would talk to them in absolute confidence; and that there might be serious repercussions if there was any violation of this confidence.
I explained the delicate situation in the Arab World; that you, yourself, had not yet had an opportunity to deal with this question as exhaustively as you have in mind; and that we felt that passage of the Resolution now would tie your hands and not leave you in a flexible position. The general sentiment of the Committee was that they would be willing to leave the entire matter in the hands of the Executive for the time being and not report out the Resolution. However, [Page 644] they insist on a public statement from the Executive, saying that in our judgment the passage of this legislation at this time would be unwise from the standpoint of the general international situation.
We must give Senator Connally a prompt answer since the Committee will meet again on Friday.
Would you please advise me by wire whether, because of the broad issues involved, you would be willing to make the statement, or whether you prefer that the statement be issued from the State Department.
The statement would be simply
“It is felt that the passage of the Palestine Resolution at the present moment would be unwise from the standpoint of the general international situation.”
- Copy of telegram obtained from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N.Y.↩