740.00119 Council/8–2146: Telegram
The Ambassador to the United Kingdom (Harriman) to the Acting Secretary of State
us urgent
[Received August 21—2:49 p.m.]
4160. Delsec 837. Personal for the Acting Secretary from Harriman. My message Delsec 83555 describing my discussion with Bevin yesterday crossed your 4233 to Paris.56
My comments given below on your message are based on yesterday’s and other previous conversations with Bevin, Attlee and Hall:
Point 1. Bevin looks upon the Palestine question as his own primary responsibility since it is a major Governmental foreign policy [Page 690] and not a colonial policy. He naturally consults Hall, but I cannot believe that Bevin would be influenced by Hall against his better judgment.
Point 2. In different conversation Bevin, Attlee and Hall have all specifically emphasized that they are not insisting that the Conference should consider the British proposal as a basis for discussion. As previously reported they have stated that the British proposal will be submitted to the Conference and that they are entirely open to any amendments or new plans. As I understand it they are not opposed to the consideration of any proposals for partition and for establishment within a certain time of a Jewish state.
On the other hand, Bevin has made it plain to me that the Jewish Agency must appreciate that he cannot condone or negotiate with extreme Zionists whom he believes have been responsible for the development of terrorist psychology.
Point 3. No comment.
Points 4 and 5. Bevin has not mentioned to me the idea of preliminary conversations. I assume he did not consider the idea as practicable. I see no objections to my asking him about it informally as a matter of information and will do so at the first opportunity.57 I hope, however, that the Jewish Agency will not be informed of this.
I am glad to learn that the Department has made no undertakings to Goldmann and I sincerely hope that the Department will find it possible to inform Goldmann that it cannot involve itself in the Jewish Agency’s negotiations with the British Government regarding conditions precedent to the conference beyond the steps taken last week.
Repeated London as 631.
- Supra.↩
- Dated August 20, p. 687.↩
- In telegram 4194, August 23, 4 p.m., from Paris (Delsec 846), Mr. Harriman reported that Mr. Bevin had informed the Jewish representatives that the British Government was unwilling to approach the Arab states regarding preliminary conversations. Mr. Bevin felt that since the Arabs had agreed to accept the British invitation to the Conference, he was unwilling to risk a refusal on their part to attend if further suggestions were made prior to the Conference. (740.00119 Council/8–2346)↩