501.BB Palestine/11–248
Memorandum by the Acting Secretary of State to President Truman
The U.S. Delegation in Paris has been advised that the Security Council Subcommittee, formed to make recommendations in connection with the recent breaches of the truce in Palestine, has prepared a resolution which it will probably approve Tuesday afternoon, the vote being taken by the Security Council probably on Wednesday or Thursday.
A copy of the draft resolution has been received by telegram1 and is attached. In accordance with your instructions, the U.S. Delegation requests most urgently that instructions be given them prior to Wednesday morning 9:00 o’clock Paris time (3:00 a. m. Wednesday E.S.T.) as to the position to be taken in the vote on the attached resolution.
While there is a good chance the Security Council may not meet on this subject Wednesday because there is a plenary session of the General Assembly on that date, there is always a possibility that a special session may be called and, in any event, the resolution will most certainly come up for a vote on Thursday.
The Subcommittee which prepared the resolution consists of Belgium, France, China, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine. We are advised that the vote in the Subcommittee was 4 to 1, with the Ukraine [Page 1540] voting against it. It is possible that the vote may foreshadow a U.S.S.R. veto in the Security Council although the U.S.S.R. was one of the countries most insistent on “putting teeth into the UN truce order”.
This Government supported the May 29 resolution setting up the original truce and was one of the sponsors of the July 15 resolution continuing the truce. We also actively supported the August 19 resolution. On October 21 the President approved instructions to the Delegation to continue to support the truce resolutions by affirmative vote.
As a result of postponements and reference of the matter to the above-mentioned Subcommittee, it has not been necessary to take a formal position until the present instance. The Department feels that we should continue to support the Security Council’s efforts to maintain the truce in the light of the deteriorating situation and the possibility that continued military action will be considered by the British as so serious a breach of the truce as to compel them to resume their treaty obligations toward Transjordan involving the delivery of arms and ammunition for Abdullah’s troops. These shipments have been effectively stopped under the truce.
May I have your instructions as early as possible today so that I may pass them on to Paris promptly?
- No. Delga 559, supra.↩