Roosevelt Discourages British Announcement on Palestine

Reference to memo from President Roosevelt to the Secretary of State opposing any statement by Britain on Palestine. This is likely a reference to plan by the British to announce a plan for resolving the dispute between the Jews and Arabs. The British apparently ignored Roosevelt’s admonition and issued a White Paper on May 23, 1939, that reneged on their commitment to a Jewish home in Palestine and proposed instead a unitary state that would have an Arab majority and limit Jewish immigration. FDR may also have been reacting to communication on the subject he received from Justice Brandeis and Chaim Weizmann.