Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, The Near East, South Asia, and Africa, Volume V

320.2AA/2–2450

Memorandum by the Secretary of State to the President

[Washington,] February 24, 1950.

Subject: Payment of United States Contribution to United Nations Belief for Palestine Refugees

1. Public Law 25, 81st Congress, a Joint Resolution of March 24, 1949, authorized the appropriation of funds not to exceed $16,000,000 for the relief of Palestine refugees, in response to the message submitted by you to the Congress on January 27, 1949. Public Law 119, 81st Congress, appropriated to the President $12,000,000 for the relief of Palestine refugees, and an additional $4,000,000 for the same purpose, “to such extent as the President from time to time finds that other nations party to such United Nations agreement have met their obligations to the United Nations Relief for Palestine Refugees …”¹

2. The amount of $15,377,930 has already been paid to the United Nations. Of this, $3,377,930 represents the amount paid from the $4,000,000 authorized to be paid to such extent as other nations have contributed. On August 10, 1949, you found that a payment of $1,377,930 could be paid, and on November 15, 1949, you found that an additional $2,000,000 could be paid.

3. The Secretary General of the United Nations has now certified to the Secretary of State² that as of December 31, 1949, $16,302,525 was received by the United Nations Belief for Palestine Refugees in cash, goods, and services from governments other than the United States. In view of this information, he requests that the United States make an additional payment of $622,070 to complete the authorized United States contribution of $16,000,000 to this program.

4. The Department of State believes that the certification of the Secretary General is sufficient evidence upon which the President may base a finding. The Department of State, therefore, recommends that the President find that, as of December 31, 1949, other nations party to the United Nations agreement have met their obligations to the United Nations Belief for Palestine Refugees in a manner and to an extent warranting a further payment of $622,070 by the United States, such payment to bring the United States contribution to the United Nations Belief for Palestine Refugees to the total of $16,000,000 authorized by Public Law 25, 81st Congress.

5. Inasmuch as the contributions of other nations certified by the Secretary General exceed the $16,000,000 required to support this payment, the Department of State has drawn up the attached schedule³ which lists those certified contributions to be included in the $16,000,000 matched. This selection of contributions to be matched has been arbitrary and is not intended to reflect in any way upon the $302,525 in certified contributions not on the list.

6. The Secretary General has also informed the Secretary of State that additional contributions estimated at $789,702 in value have also been received from other nations, as of December 31, 1949. These were not included in the certification because there may be minor changes in valuation. Thus other governments have contributed an estimated total of $17,092,227 to the United Nations Relief for Palestine Refugees.

Dean Acheson

1. Ellipses in the source text.
2. In a note of February 3. A copy was transmitted by the United States Mission at the United Nations in despatch 101, February 6; neither printed (357.AC/2–650).
3. Not printed.