Foreign Relations of the United States, 1948, The Near East, South Asia, and Africa, Volume V, Part 2

501.BB Palestine/3–448: Telegram

The Ambassador in Egypt (Tuck) to the Secretary of State

secret

Cairo, March 4, 1948—9 p. m.

225. For Loy Henderson. I called on Minister Foreign Affairs yesterday to see his reaction to Austin’s speech before the SC, text of which I had sent him.

Khashaba Pasha said he had read the speech with great interest and with “considerable relief” he stated that he feared that American official attitude toward partition might have been much closer to “four-point plan” advocated by certain prominent Americans, including Mrs. Roosevelt and Sumner Welles,¹ and which had been given considerable publicity in the local press.

Minister Foreign Affairs added that Austin’s speech, while to him slightly ambiguous, appeared more acceptable and that while reaction in Egyptian official circles was guarded, it had been on the whole favorable. He was personally interested and gratified that Austin’s speech had received support of President Truman. He told me that if Arab States could receive assurance that plan for establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine would be abandoned once and for all and that Jewish immigration would not be permitted on scale which would result in creation of a majority which would facilitate the forming of a Jewish state, then Arab countries would be prepared to discuss any form of compromise such as federalization or cantonization in Palestine.

I seized occasion to acquaint him with the purport of paragraphs 2 and 3 of Deptel 211 of February 23, 6 p. m.,² emphasizing the importance which our government attaches to prevention infiltration of fighting men and arms into Palestine. I told him that I felt that Egypt played a leading role in the Arab League and that an example of moderation in this respect might have its effect on other Arab Govts. Khashaba Pasha replied that while he had admitted the wisdom of such a policy it was indeed difficult, if not impossible, to convince the other members of the Arab League to this effect.³

Tuck

1. Under Secretary of State, 1937–1943.
2. This was a repeat of No. 34 to Damascus, p. 649.
3. The reactions of leaders in other Arab lands to Senator Austin’s statement were cautiously favorable (telegrams 121, February 26, from Damascus; 73, February 27, from Beirut; 195, March 2, from Baghdad; and 107, March 4, from Jidda). The Soviet reaction was given in a headline in Trud, which stated “USA Sabotages UN Decision on Palestine”, and in the accompanying article which stated that “USA trying to delay still more and possibly even prevent fulfillment GA resolution on partition.” (Telegram 388, March 1, from Moscow, 501.BB Palestine/3–148)