501.BB Palestine/5–1048: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Douglas) to the Secretary of State
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2028. Deptel 1673, May 8, received yesterday. Impossible see Bevin Sunday. Saw him this afternoon after previously transmitting to him message contained Deptel 1672, May 8.1
You ask three questions:
- 1.
- Whether Shertok’s account of his talk with Creech Jones accurately represents British policy.
- 2.
- Whether it reflects Bevin’s understanding of Abdullah’s intentions.
- 3.
- Whether it indicates that Bevin is of the opinion that further truce effort is unnecessary.
As to the third question, Bevin says categorically that it does not mean that he feels that further truce effort is unnecessary. On the contrary, he endorses truce efforts and believes, after a preliminary review of the amendments, truce proposals are sound and has advised the Arabs to accept them. This is in connection with his general view about the matter which he will send me in writing, and which will serve as an answer to the first question which you have raised.
As to the second question, Abdullah’s intentions are not clearly and precisely known to Bevin, but he believes that if Abdullah’s troops move into Palestine at all, they will confine their movement only to the legitimate and clearly recognized Arab portions.
In addition to the above, Bevin, orally, told me his views which may serve as a partial answer to your first question, but will be amplified in writing. For the moment they are as follows:
- a.
- He has attempted, and will continue to hold Abdullah back.
- b.
- He instituted vigorous steps to terminate the attack on Jaffa.
- c.
- He has taken vigorous measures to keep the Jews out of the Arab quarters in Jerusalem.
- d.
- He would like to keep the Arabs out of the Jewish areas.
- e.
- He would like to keep the Jews out of the Arab areas.
- f.
- Thus he believes there will develop, if it has not already largely developed, a natural what he calls “sorting out of Palestine” which would set the conditions under which a truce, established under a resolution of the UN, could be made effective.
- g.
- If this develops, he is contemplating an immigration of 4,000 Jews a month from Cyprus.
- h.
- If Palestine having been so sorted out and truce established under UN resolution accompanied by some sort of a commission, Abdullah’s Arabs in the Arabian areas and Haganah’s forces in the [Page 956] Jewish areas might provide the militia to preserve order and administer affairs of Palestine.
- i.
- The terms of reference of the commission should be as simple as possible and should include those items to which both the Jews and the Arabs agree.
- j.
- He thinks that if the truce for Jerusalem can be obtained as proposed, while it may be but a beginning, an extension to all of Palestine will be facilitated and the remainder of the problem simplified.
- k.
- As a final word, he said that he thought Jaffa and Haifa should be open cities, and that Gaza should be reserved for the Arabs.
I am sending under separate cable2 a report from the UK delegation to the UN to the Foreign Office describing Creech Jones’ views as presented to a closed meeting of the sub-committee of Committee One in the afternoon of the 7th of May.
Bevin is extremely anxious that the above, given to me orally, be treated with the greatest secrecy.