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 out 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.1 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. 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. 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 widespread 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.