Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, The Near East, South Asia, and Africa, The Far East, Volume V

867N.01/12–1144

Press Release Issued by the Department of State, December 11, 1944⁷⁰

December 11, 1944

Resolutions pertaining to Palestine have recently been before the appropriate Committees of the Congress, and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has inquired as to the attitude of the Department of State toward these resolutions.

The Department has the utmost sympathy for the persecuted Jewish people of Europe and has been assisting them through active support of the work of the War Refugee Board and in every other possible way. The Department considers, however, that the passage of the resolutions at the present time would be unwise from the standpoint of the general international situation, and has so informed the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

70. Text sent to Cairo in telegram 3596, December 11, with request that it be repeated to Jerusalem, Beirut, Damascus and Jidda; a separate telegram, No. 263, was sent on the same date, to Baghdad.

    The Secretary read this statement while testifying before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on December 11, in opposition to the proposed Palestine resolution; the Committee voted 10 to 8 to take no action on the resolution but asked the immediate issuance of the statement.