Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, The Near East and Africa, Volume V

867N.01/2–2647: Telegram

The Chargé in the United Kingdom (Gallman) to the Secretary of State

secret

London, February 26, 1947—8 p. m.

1303. Embassy today discussed informally with Beeley, Bevin’s Palestine speech. Following points arose:

1. Bevin had before him comprehensive brief drafted in Foreign Office but for most part he spoke extemporaneously.

2. Full text Hansard report of speech has been telegraphed British Embassy Washington.

3. Bevin looks forward to early opportunity to discuss Palestine with Secretary at Moscow.¹ Beeley doubted whether any communications on subject would be sent Washington in interim.

4. Asked what Bevin has in mind when he said that he would be willing to try again for settlement prior UN decision, Beeley said this meant that if either Arabs or Jews took the initiative British Govt would be willing to give anything they had to say most careful consideration to hopes of working out settlement prior UN. Bevin still hoped this might come to pass but prospects were not bright.²

5. Beeley summarized speech as Bevin’s rejection of Zionist demand for Jewish state.

6. Beeley said that Bevin had recently expressed to him repeatedly his deep concern for DP’s and of his desire on humanitarian grounds to liquidate this problem. Consequently Beeley was not surprised that Bevin inserted extemporaneously a section on the subject in his speech. Beeley thought personally that Bevin is not very far from the American point of view re the 100,000 because Bevin would undoubtedly use his best efforts to get 100,000 into Palestine at earliest possible date provided this could be done either as a part of political settlement (either inside or outside of UN) or as part of general international humanitarian settlement of refugee problem as a whole. He thought that Bevin is anxious to see 100,000 Jews go to Palestine, but this must be on humanitarian grounds only and not as a step towards establishing a Jewish majority in Palestine with a Jewish state as ultimate goal.

Gallman

1. The Fourth Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers met at Moscow from March 10 to April 24, 1947; for documentation, see vol. ii, pp. 139 ff.
2. According to telegram 1507, March 7, from London, Mr. Goldmann informed the Embassy on March 6 that Mr. Bevin had invited him and a colleague to attend a private conversation with him and Mr. Creech Jones on February 27. “They told JA representatives that they were loath to see Palestine problem sent to UN if there was any possibility of reaching agreement outside UN. Goldmann replied that if British wanted to avoid UN they should leave larger question in suspense and work out with JA a two-year agreement permitting 100,000 immigrants and providing some form of municipal autonomy and new lands laws which would not discriminate against Jews. Bevin indicated that he thought he could persuade Arabs to admit 100,000 provided thereafter Arabs would have a say regarding future immigration. Since JA representatives could not accept ‘Arab veto’ conversation had no positive results.” He noted also that “towards end of British–JA representative talks Ben-Gurion had sent Bevin personally a map and a memorandum dealing with partition, both of which JA in reply to Bevin’s direct question on later occasion acknowledged as ‘official’.” (867N.01/3–747)

   Telegram 1508, March 7, 5 p. m., from London, reported that Mr. Beeley subsequently gave an account of the meeting almost identical with Mr. Goldmann’s. He said, however, that the Jewish Agency “memo was largely about strategic advantages of partition to British and dealt only incidentally with partition itself. JA did not send map, but B–G indicated on British map what he had in mind.” (867N.01/3–747)