PPS Files, Lot 64 D 563, Near and Middle East, 1947–1949
Memorandum by Mr. Gordon P. Merriam, Member of the Policy Planning Staff, to Staff Members
For your information, there are attached certain UNA papers relating to the Palestine question.1
You will note that the basic paper is the Appendix to the Position Paper of June 22, 1948. This Appendix is a memorandum to the President dated May 22, which the President approved. S/P’s views on this memorandum were not requested. The Position Paper is in the nature of an application of the policy approved by the President to the situation which would result if the truce were broken or not extended. It has been approved by the Secretary.
Present United States action with respect to Palestine is apparently taking place in pursuance of the policy laid down in the two papers above-mentioned.
However, the Democratic platform adopted on July 14 contains the following splinter in the Palestine plank:
“We favor the revision of the arms embargo to accord the State of Israel the right of self-defense. We pledge ourselves to work for the modification of any resolution of the United Nations to the extent that it may prevent any such revision.
This passage appears to be inconsistent with paragraphs (c) and (d) of the memorandum approved by the President.”
I am informed by NE that as of 10:30 this morning no directive had been received which would alter our present policy. Accordingly, we [Page 1222] are persisting in trying to get a SC resolution which, among other things, would continue the arms embargo to the whole Near East.
The UNA paper dated June 23 on a territorial settlement is interesting, but this is not a pressing matter at the moment.
Before joining S/P, I had some knowledge of S/P’s difficulties in dealing with the Palestine problem. Since joining, my impression has deepened that S/P’s difficulty is essentially no different from that of the operating divisions, the crux of the matter being, as I understand it, that we have no long-term Palestine policy. We do have a short-term, open-ended policy which is set from time to time by White House directives.
In S/P, I have sensed a feeling that in some way we should be on record, at least, with respect to a positive Palestine policy, in addition to being on record as “viewing with alarm”. We have been asked to contribute, but thus far we have not found a good formula.
I am wondering whether the formula might not be a NSC paper on: “The United States Position with respect to Israel”. Israel does exist, and nothing that anyone can definitely foresee is going to overthrow it. Our long-term policy with respect to it has not been worked out.
The preparation and submittal of such a paper would involve obvious difficulties and dangers. On the other hand, this is an important question on which neither S/P nor NSC has taken a positive long-range position, and in the absence of a long-range policy we are unable to put our shoulders behind a constructive and comprehensible Middle East policy; and we lack a sound foundation on which to build a long-term policy for two of the three members of the Middle Eastern “security arch”, i.e. Turkey and Iran.2
- The reference is to a memorandum of June 23 from Mr. McClintock to Mr. Kennan and to Harry S. Villard, a Member of the Policy Planning Staff. The memorandum transmitted copies of Mr. Meeker’s memorandum of June 22; its appendix, the memorandum of May 22 to President Truman; and Mr. McClintock’s memorandum of June 23. The three papers are printed on pp. 1127, 1027, and 1134, respectively.↩
- The Policy Planning Staff prepared a report, dated August 18, whose purpose it was “To assess and appraise the position of the United States with respect to Israel and related problems”. Attached to the report is a memorandum of August 19 from Mr. Kennan to Mr. Savage which states “I had this ready for delivery to the Secretary this morning: but after hearing, by chance, the briefing given him orally by Rusk on this subject, decided not to use it.” The report and Mr. Kennan’s memorandum (neither printed) are filed in the PPS Files, Lot 64 D 563, Near and Middle East, 1947–1948.↩