143. Letter From the Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine and the Near East (Davis) to the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (Wilcox)1
Dear Francis: I am writing to give you a confidential progress report regarding the rectification of ration rolls in Jordan. I am prompted to do this, in part, by an article which appeared in a recent issue of the Beirut Daily Star quoting Senator Gore’s statement of 21 April. (See attached clipping.)2
It is our intention in UNRWA to do everything we can towards the rectification of the ration rolls; of course, avoiding at the same time the creation of offsetting negative reactions—particularly in the form of political instability. Among other things, we are stepping up our own investigations of the type which the Agency has carried on for a number of years. As you probably know, we have a small crew of capable investigators who work at this constantly in Jordan. It is our intention to push this type of effort as far as political tolerance will permit. Secondly, we are improving the physical facilities at distribution centers for the purpose of making it more difficult for irregularities to occur. In addition we are working aggressively to get cards away from merchants who have acquired them on a mortgage or purchase basis. While the gain from each of these procedures is limited, still it is significant over a year’s period. The point is that these are items on which we can move ourselves without seeking any coordinated action by the Government.
It now appears that the proposed census in Jordan will be carried out, though it will not actually get underway until about the spring of 1961. UNRWA has been asked to finance one-third of the cost, but not to exceed $150,000. I have taken the position that if the census were well planned and if our principal contributors strongly supported our participation, I would be willing for the Agency to do so. Last week the Government formally requested our participation in writing and Ambassador Mills wrote me a letter supporting the Government’s request. The result is that I have now committed the Agency to participate in such a census. In justification of this action emphasis has been placed largely on the grounds of facilitating the economic development of the country, rather than on rectification of the ration rolls.
[Page 312]Last week I was reassured in Jordan that we would now be given more adequate reports by the Government with respect to deaths. Even though past experience has shown that we should not get overly confident from such promises, still the Government is attempting to assist us.
I am sure you know that a full rectification to the ration rolls would add 30 to 40 thousand more names to the rolls and would increase our food costs by more than a half million dollars per year. Also, I think one should keep in mind that a welfare system of a sort exists within the family-clan structure of refugee camps and Palestine villages. This, of course, is nothing new since these people have had to wrestle with food shortages from time immemorial as a result of rather frequent lean years. I am convinced that is because of this informal welfare system that we do not see more undernourished children in the camps. The point is that this system serves to partially mitigate the grave injustice which appears to exist because of the large number of illegal claimants and the more than offsetting number of eligible children who are not granted rations.
Finally, one must take into account the political instability which might be engendered by an overly aggressive, or poorly planned, program to rectify ration rolls. While the Jordan Government doubtless is overly conscious of this factor, still this element does exist and I think any reasonable person is forced to admit that political stability in the Middle East is more basic to the future progress of the area than is the complete rectification of ration rolls. The point is that it is more important to concentrate on a solution to the problem which will ultimately make ration rolls unnecessary than to spend an excessive amount of time trying to perfect that which we seek to eliminate at the earliest possible date. In spite of the unsatisfactory ration rolls in Jordan, one is forced to concede that nutrition is relatively satisfactory among children. This, I believe is because of the welfare system within the Palestine culture, to which I referred earlier.
With respect to political stability, it is important to bear in mind that conditions change from time to time. My own feeling is that the recent border tensions plus the effect of Nasser’s recent rousing speeches have increased political tensions among certain dissident groups in Jordan with the result that it is somewhat more difficult to make progress in ration roll rectification today than would have been the case last November or December. Of course, the pendulum likely will tend to swing back the other way again in the coming months.
To sum the matter up I think the UNRWA can, by moving ahead step by step and using devices within its own grasp, make considerable progress towards rectifying the ration rolls within the next 12 months. Also, the Jordan Government is currently showing a willingness to cooperate more fully. However, it would be unrealistic to [Page 313] predict that this will accomplish anything like a full or acceptable rectification of the rolls in 1960 or even in 1961. Even so, we in UNRWA shall keep working diligently towards an improvement of ration rolls.3
Sincerely,
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 325.84/4–2560. Personal and Confidential.↩
- Not printed.↩
- Also attached to the source text is Wilcox’s reply, July 21, in which he stated that there was still considerable pressure in Congress to cut the UNRWA appropriation, but that he had used Davis’ letter to good effect with key Congressional figures in an attempt to secure $25 million for the U.S. contribution. This appropriation bill was still not passed when Wilcox wrote.↩