867N.01/10–448
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State1
| Participants: | The Secretary |
| Ambassador Caffery | |
| Mr. Bohlen and | |
| Mr. Ernest Bevin | |
| Mr. Frank Roberts |
Subject: Palestine
Mr. Bevin said he wished to discuss the suggestion which had been received from the American Delegation that Great Britain should go [Page 1450] on the Conciliation Commission. He said he did not see how Great Britain could be represented on this Commission. He emphasized, however, that they were doing all that they could to induce a more reasonable frame of mind on the part of the Arabs and that he personally had seen the Egyptians and other Arab representatives here to that end.
The Secretary inquired what Mr. Bevin’s idea of the functions of this Commission and, in particular, the United States position therein should be. He mentioned that he was under attack by Jewish groups in the United States for his support of the Bernadotte plan, but that on the other hand the Arabs regarded his position as completely pro-Jewish. He wondered whether it would be helpful in Mr. Bevin’s opinion to have the United States represented on this Commission and in particular its effect upon the Arabs. Mr. Bevin said that he did not think the Arabs would have any objection to the United States remaining on the Conciliation Commission since together with Belgium and France they had formed the Truce Commission. The Secretary said he had not reached a definite conclusion on this point and he understood the British feelings about their participation on the Commission. Mr. Bevin said that British participation would be greatly misunderstood in England and would be viewed as an attempt on his part to get back into the Palestine situation through the back door; the Jews would not welcome it and the Arabs would misunderstand it.
The Secretary said that since the matter would not come up for some time in the Assembly he would like to think it over. Mr. Bevin said that he thought the continuance of the Truce Commission would raise no new problems of membership and that in general he felt there was a reasonable chance to get Arab acquiescence in the Bernadotte plan. They would of course fight it, but he felt in the end they would acquiesce.
[Here follow remaining two paragraphs, dealing with the British Consul General at Haifa.]
- Drafted by Mr. Bohlen.↩