I have learned with deep regret
that the meetings of the Palestine Conference in London have been adjourned and
are not to be resumed until December 16, 1946. In the light of this situation
it is appropriate to examine the record of the administration's efforts in this
field, efforts which have been supported in and not of Congress by members of
both political parties, and to state my views on the situation as it now
exists.
It will be recalled that, when Mr.
Earl Harrison reported on September 29, 1945, concerning the condition of
displaced persons in Europe, I immediately urged that steps be taken to relieve
the situation of these persons to the extent at least of admitting 100,000 Jews
into Palestine.(2) In response to this
suggestion the British Government invited the Government of the United States
to cooperate in setting up a joint Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry, an invitation which
this Government was happy to accept in the hope that its participation would
help to alleviate the situation of the displaced Jews in Europe and would
assist in finding a solution for the difficult and complex problem of Palestine
itself. The urgency with which this Government regarded the matter is reflected
in the fact that a 120-day limit was set for the completion of the Committee's
task.
The unanimous report of the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry was made on April 20,
1946, and I was gratified to note that among the recommendations contained in
the Report was an endorsement of my previous suggestion that 100,000 Jews be
admitted into Palestine. The administration immediately concerned itself with
devising ways and means for transporting the 100,000 and caring for them upon
their arrival. With this in mind, experts were sent to London in June 1946 to
work out provisionally the actual travel arrangements. The British Government
cooperated with this group but made it clear that in its view the Report must
be considered as a whole and that the issue of the 100,000 could not be
considered separately.
On June 11, I announced the
establishment of a Cabinet Committee on Palestine and Related Problems,
composed of the Secretaries of State, War, and Treasury, to assist, me in
considering the recommendations of the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry.(3) The alternates of this
Cabinet Committee, headed by Ambassador Henry F. Grady, departed for London on
July 10, 1946, to discuss with British Government representatives how the
Report might best be implemented. The alternates submitted on July 24, 1946 a
report, commonly referred to as the "Morrison plan", advocating a scheme
of provincial autonomy which might lead ultimately to a bi-national state or to
partition. However, opposition to this plan developed among members of the
major political parties in the United States-both in the Congress and
throughout the country. In accordance with the principle which I have
consistently tried to follow, of having a maximum degree of unity within the
country and between the parties on major elements of American foreign policy, I
could not give my support to this plan.
I have, nevertheless, maintained my
deep interest in the matter and have repeatedly made known and have urged that
steps be taken at the earliest possible moment to admit 100,000 Jewish refugees
to Palestine.
In the meantime, this Government
was informed of the efforts of the British Government to bring to London
representatives of the Arabs and Jews, with a view to finding a solution to
this distressing problem. I expressed the hope that as a result of these
conversations a fair solution of the Palestine problem could be found.(4) While all the parties
invited had not found themselves able to attend, I had hoped that there was
still a possibility that representatives of the Jewish Agency might take part. If
so, the prospect for an agreed and constructive settlement would have been
enhanced.
The British Government presented to
the Conference the so-called "Morrison plan" for provincial autonomy
and stated that the Conference was open to other proposals. Meanwhile, the
Jewish Agency proposed a solution of the Palestine problem by means of the
creation of a viable Jewish state in control of its own immigration and
economic policies in an adequate area of Palestine instead of in the whole of
Palestine. It proposed furthermore the immediate issuance of certificates for
100,000 Jewish immigrants. This proposal received wide-spread attention in the
United States, both in the press and in public forums. From the discussion
which has ensued it is my belief that a solution along these lines would
command the support of public opinion in the United States. I cannot believe
that the gap between the proposals which have been put forward is too great to
be bridged by men of reason and good-will. To such a solution our Government
could give its support.
In the light of the situation which
has now developed I wish to state my views as succinctly as possible:
1. In view of the fact that winter
will come on before the Conference can be resumed I believe and urge that
substantial immigration into Palestine cannot await a solution to the Palestine
problem and that it should begin at once. Preparations for this movement have
already been made by this Government and it is ready to lend its immediate
assistance.
2. I state again, as I have on
previous occasions, that the immigration laws of other countries, including the
United States, should be liberalized with a view to the admission of displaced
persons. I am prepared to make such a recommendation to the Congress and to
continue as energetically as possible collaboration with other countries on the
whole problem of displaced persons.
3. Furthermore, should a workable
solution for Palestine be devised, I would be willing to recommend to the
Congress a plan for economic assistance for the development of that country.
In the light of the terrible ordeal
which the Jewish people of Europe endured during the recent war and the crisis
now existing, I cannot believe that a program of immediate action along the
lines suggested above could not be worked out with the cooperation of all
people concerned. The administration will continue to do everything it can to
this end.
Notes:
(1) Department of State Bulletin of
October 13, 1946, pp. 669-670. Back
(2) For text of Mr. Harrison's report
to the. President, see Department of State Bulletin of September .10, 1945, p.
456; and for the statement of the President, see Department of State Bulletin
of November 18, 1945, P. 790. Back
(3) For text of the Executive order
establishing the Committee, see Department of State Bulletin of June 23, 1946
p. 1089. Back
(4) Department of State Bulletin of August 25, 1946, p. 380. Back