867N.01/5–346
Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State for Occupied Areas (Hilldring) to the Under Secretary of State (Acheson)
As anticipated, the British are stalling on the Anglo-American Committee’s recommendation for authorization of 100,000 immigration visas to Palestine. Mr. Attlee has announced that action upon this recommendation will be withheld pending (a) disarmament of the Jewish underground Army in Palestine and (b) guarantee of military and financial assistance by the U.S. This position is inconsistent with the Committee’s recommendation, which attached no such conditions, and, in fact, is reported to be the position which was considered by the Committee but was specifically rejected by it.
Our military and political interests in Germany and Austria require that we press for immediate implementation of the Committee’s recommendation. I believe that unless we exercise unremitting pressure to this end, these interests will not receive adequate representation by our Government and there will be no effective counteraction to British tactics of stalling and confusing the entire issue.
[Page 592]The answer to Arab opposition in the Middle East and to Britain’s negative attitude may very well be demonstrations by Jewish displaced persons in Germany and Austria and scathing comments by Jewish leaders and organizations in this country. In order to further our interests in Germany and Austria, i.e., to resettle the Jewish displaced persons as expeditiously as possible, I think that all the Jewish pressure should be directed against the British rather than against both U.S. and British Governments jointly. This result, I believe, can be achieved only if this Government pursues an aggressive public policy of needling the British to implement the Committee’s recommendation for entry of 100,000 immediately and without reference to future action on any other aspects of the Report. Since the British have already put us on the defensive by Mr. Attlee’s public announcement, I believe that it is essential that we announce immediately our forthright position in favor of entry of the 100,000. Such an announcement should be accompanied by a generous gesture which will counteract the British inference that we are only ready to advise but not to assist materially.
I suggest, therefore, that you discuss with the President the following recommendations for immediate action:
- a.
- A public statement by the President stressing the urgent necessity of immediate implementation of the Committee’s recommendation for issuance of 100,000 immigration visas.
- b.
- A public offer by the U.S. Government to assume primary responsibility for movement of all of the 100,000 from Europe to Palestine. This offer should be accompanied by a statement of the President’s intention to designate an outstanding U.S. citizen (preferably by name) as his Personal Representative to coordinate the movement of these persons. Such an individual would be empowered to coordinate and mobilize the resources of the Army, War Shipping Administration, UNRRA, Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees, and Jewish voluntary agencies, in order to effect the movement. It is believed that the net cost of such an operation to the U. S. Government would be not more, and perhaps even less, than the expense of maintaining Jewish displaced persons in camps in Germany and Austria for another year.
If you concur, I will prepare an appropriate memorandum to the President for your signature.