867N.01/10–2645: Telegram
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Copy of Telegram From the Foreign Office of October 26th, 1945
I90 am sending you at once the text of the statement which I propose to make on Palestine next week.91 I am sending it to you in full so that the United States Government can see exactly how I shall present the proposals in the House. The United States Government will see that they are not committed in any way beyond the agreed terms of reference and that it is we who take the initiative. In drafting this statement I have had the New York elections in mind as well as the Jews and India.
I very much hope that when Mr. Byrnes has seen this statement he will agree that it goes a long way to meet his difficulties. I have just received your telegram of yesterday evening and I ask you to press the United States Government strongly to consent to the retention of the words “or other countries outside Europe”. There are the Dominions, [Page 795] Colonies and other territories to which it may be possible for Jews to emigrate. Palestine is not the only country.
I most earnestly beg Mr. Byrnes to help me over this point. If he reads the terms of reference in the light of the whole statement which I am sending you he will see that we are not minimising Palestine in any way, but Palestine cannot deal with the whole emigration problem.