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The Genesis of the Anglo-American Committee on Palestine, November 1945: a case study in the Assertion of American Hegemony*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

Michael J. Cohen
Michael J. Cohen
Affiliation:
Bar-Ilan University
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Extract

The Anglo-American Committee, whose appointment was announced on 13 November 1945, had its origins in a purely British initiative: an ad hoc, spur-of-the-moment attempt to associate the United States responsibly with British policy in Palestine. However, this committee did not succeed, any more than had its many predecessors, in finding a solution to the Palestine problem palatable to all parties. Nor did it bring relief to the mass of refugees wasting away in displaced-persons camps in Europe. Its vigorous rejection of partition was shortly to be brushed aside by a different kind of logic, that of force majeure.

Type
Articles
Information
The Historical Journal , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , March 1979 , pp. 185 - 207
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

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References

1 See Cohen, Michael J., ‘The British white paper on Palestine, 05, 1939’, pt. II, in The Historical Journal, xix, (1976), no. 3Google Scholar.

2 See joint Colonial/Foreign Office memorandum, 11 June 1945, in E3975/15/31, F.O. 37t/45377, Public Record Office.

3 Grigg memorandum of 4 April 1945 in W.P.(45)214, in Cab. 66/64.

4 Grigg-F.O., 29 June 1945, in E4775/15/31; Killearn (Gairo) to F.O. 18 June 1945 in E4718/15/31; also Stonehewer-Bird (Baghdad) to F.O. 24 June 1945 in E4846/15/31, ibid. The new trusteeship agreements were discussed at San Francisco between April and June 1945.

5 Halifax-F.O., 1 July 1945, in E4849/15/31, ibid.

6 Churchill minute, 6 July 1945, in E4939/15*sol;31, F.O. 371/45378.

7 Minute by Harold Beeley, 10 July 1945, ibid.

8 J.P. (45)167, 10 July 1945, in E5141/15/31, ibid.

9 With increasing evidence of the cold war, Grigg had withdrawn his proposal that the Soviets join in the trusteeship scheme; but such exclusion reduced prospects of Soviet acquiescence.

10 F.O. ‘Appreciation of international repercussions of Palestine Policy’, in E5539/15/31, F.O. 371/45378, July 1945.

11 For this and following see P.(M)(45), 11, 1 Sept. 1945, in E8047/15/31, F.O. 371/45382.

12 See Cohen, ‘The British white paper’, pt. 11.

13 Minutes of meeting at Colonial Office, 19 Sept. 1945, in 75872/132, CO. 733/463.

14 For this and following see C.O.memorandum, 7 Sept 10. 1945, in E8047/15/31, F.O. 371/45382.

15 C.P.(45)130, in Cab. 129/1; also meeting of 30 Aug. 1945, in Cab. 128/1.

16 C.P. (45)156, 8 Sept. 1945, in Cab. 129/1.

17 Ibid. My emphasis.

18 Ibid.

19 See E6955/15/31, F. O. 371/45379. Among the participants were the ambassadors from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sir Walter Smart (oriental secretary at Cairo since 1926), Lord Gort and Harris from palestine, and Bevin himself.

20 Hall-Bevin, 14 Sept. 1945, in E6966/15/31, F.O. 37E/45380

21 See the not-always-reliable Crum, Bartley, Behind the silken curtain (New York, 1947), p. 112Google Scholar; also Foreign Relations of the United States (hereafter F.R.U.S.), 1945, vol. VIII (Washington, 1969).

22 F.R. U.S., viii. Some 90% of the section on Palestine is taken up with warnings by the department of Near Eastern affairs of the dire repercussions of Truman's ‘pro-Zionist’ policy.

23 Truman, Harry S., Memoirs, 11, Years of trial and hope (New York, 1956), p. 140Google Scholar.

24 F.R.U.S., VIII, 716–17; also E5474/15/31, F.O. 371/45378.

25 Bevin-Attlee (passed on to Truman), 30 July 1945, ibid.

26 F.R.U.S. VIII, 722; also E7386/265/31, F.O. 371/45400.

27 War department memorandum, 19 Sept. 1945, in F.R.U.S. viii, 742.

28 Formerly American commissioner for immigration and naturalization, and American representative on the intergovernmental committee on refugees, 1945–6.

29 The Harrison report, printed in State Department Bulletin No. 13, 30 Sept. 1945, is Hurevitz, quotedinj. C., Diplomacy in the Near and Middle East, (New York, 1956), II, 249–57Google Scholar.

30 Truman-Attlee, 31 Aug. 1945, in F.R.U.S., viii,737–9;alsoE7251/15/31, F.0.371/45380.

31 Minute by J. M. Martin, 18 Sept. 1945, in 75872/134, CO. 733/463, pt. I.

32 Attlee-Truman, 14 Sept. 1945, in F.R.U.S. viii, 739.

33 Attlee-Truman, 16 Sept. 1945, F.R.U.S. viii, 740–1; also E7251/15/31, F.O. 371/45380.

34 Truman-Attlee, 17 Sept. 1945, F.R.U.S. viii, ibid.; also 75872/134, CO. 733/463, pt. 1.

35 Minutes in E7251 /15/31, F.O. 371 /45380.

36 Attlee-Truman, 1 Oct. 1945, and Winant, (U.S. ambassador in London) to Truman, 2 10. 1945, in F.R.U.S. viii, 753Google Scholar.

37 For following, see Halifax-F.O., 4 Oct. 1945, in E7449/265/31, F.O. 371/45400. The telegram, time-stamped 6.05 a.m., was referred to specifically by Bevin at the cabinet meeting later that same morning; see Cab. 128/1.

38 On 20 August 1945 the secretary-general of the Arab League had claimed that Roosevelt had promised Ibn Saud that he would not support the Jews in Palestine (see New York Times, 20 Aug. 1945). At a press conference on 26 Sept. 1945 Truman denied that any specific pledges had been given.

39 See E7542/119/31, in F.O. 371/45393, N3224/4/45, F.O. 371/44539; also F.R.U.S. viii, 760, 763–4, 769–71.

40 The Zionists were behind a campaign to block an American loan to Britain. Upon a complaint from the State Department, presidential adviser David Niles secured statements from leading Zionists in favour of the loan. See Snetsinger, John, Truman, the Jewish vote and the creation of Israel (Stanford, 1974), p. 38Google Scholar; for the loan negotiations, see below.

41 Jenkins, Roy, Nine men of power (London, 1974), p. 63Google Scholar.

42 See F.R.U.S. (1945), XI (Washington, 1967), 99–560Google Scholar, especially 313–15, 484–7, 505–6; also Byrnes, J. F., Frankly speaking (New York, 1947), pp. 102–6Google Scholar.

43 Winant-Byrnes, reporting on conversation with Sir Orme Sargent (deputy undersecretary at F.O.), 5 Oct. 1945, in F.R.U.S. (1945), xi, 558Google Scholar.

44 Meeting of 4 Oct. 1945, in Cab. 128/1.

45 The British used the term ‘Commission’. But I have preferred the American nomenclature throughout.

46 Monroe, E., ‘Mr Bevin's “Arab policy”’, St Antony's Papers, No. 11, Middle Eastern Affairs, no. 2, 1961Google Scholar.

47 Undated Colonial Office memorandum, in E7956 /15/31, F.O. 371/45381.

48 Ibid.

49 Meeting of 10 Oct. 1945 in 75872/135, CO. 733/463, pt. 2.

50 Bevin-Halifax, 12 Oct. 1945, in E7757/15/31, F.O. 371/45381.

51 Minutes of cabinet meeting on II Oct. 1945, in 75872/135, C.O. 733/463, pt. 2.

52 For this and following, see Bevin-Halifax, 12 Oct. 1945, in E7757/15/31, F.O. 371/45381.

53 Ibid.

54 I.e. Bevin to Grafftey-Smith, 12 Oct. 1945, in E8067/15/31, F.O. 371/45382.

55 Interview of 19 Oct. 1945, in F.R.U.S. VIII, 771–5.

56 See above.

57 Halifax-F.O., 19 Oct. 1945, in E7932/15/31, F.O. 371/45381.

58 Byrnes-Halifax conversation in F.R.U.S. VIII, 779–83; also, Halifax-Bevin, 22 Oct. 1945, in E8013/15/31, F.O. 371/45382.

59 For this and following see Byrnes-Halifax, , 24 10 1945, in F.R.U.S. VIII, 785–6Google Scholar.

60 Halifax-Bevin, 24 Oct. 1945, in E8060/15/31, F.O. 371/45382.

61 Ibid.

62 Ibid.

63 Ibid.

64 My emphasis.

65 Bevin-Halifax, 25 Oct. 1945, in E8060/15/3., F.O. 371/45382, handed by Balfour (minister at Washington embassy) to Byrnes on the same day; see also F.R. U.S. VIII, 788–90.

66 Balfour-Bevin, 25 Oct. 1945, in E8094/15/31, F.O. 371/45382.

67 Bevin-Halifax, 26 Oct. 1945, in E8144/15/31, ibid.; also F.R.U.S. VIII, 794–5.

68 Bevin-Halifax, 27 Oct. 1945, in E8145/15/31, ibid.; also F.R.U.S. VIII, 799–800.

69 Halifax-Bevin, 27 Oct. 1945, in W8160/15/31, ibid; also Byrnes-Halifax, 27 Oct. 1945, in F.R.U.S. VIII, 800.

70 Byrnes-Halifax, 28 Oct. 1945, in F.R.U.S. VIII, 800–1.

71 Halifax-Bevin, 28 Oct. 1945, in E8177/15/31, F.O. 371/45382.

72 Bevin-Halifax, 29 Oct. 1945, ibid.; the purpose of the Washington talks was to determine Allied procedures concerning the atomic bomb.

73 Halifax-Bevin, 29 Oct. 1945, in E8219/15/31, ibid. In his memoirs, Truman disingenuously omits all reference to the New York elections and, in blatant contradiction of the facts, writes: ‘Since the diplomats were having so much trouble in agreeing on the scope and purpose of the proposed committee…the matter was not taken up again until Attlee came to Washington in mid-November.’ Truman, Memoirs, p. 145.

74 Bevin-Halifax, 1 Nov. 1945, in E8342/15/31, F.O. 371/45383.

75 See above, p. 199.

76 Halifax-Bevin, 6 Nov. 1945, in E8516/15/31, F.O. 371/45383; see revised version in F.R.U.S. VIII, 812.

77 For this and following see Halifax-Bevin, 7 Nov. 1945, in E8539/15/31, ibid; also Byrnes-Halifax, 7 Nov. 1945, F.R.U.S. VIII, 814.

78 Halifax-Byrnes, 9 Nov. 1945, F.R.U.S. VIII, 815.

79 Attlee-Bevin, 16 Nov. 1945, in E8841/15/31, F.O. 371/45385.

80 Bevin-Halifax, 16 Nov. 1945, ibid.; an early draft of the cabinet paper on the joint committee contained the following paragraph: ‘The chief military consideration is that an outburst over Palestine should not occur until some of our other military commitments have been liquidated. The proposal for a full enquiry into the Jewish problem will make for delay, and is therefore satisfactory…’, in E7637/15/31, F.O. 371/45381 and in Air 20/4962. This section does not appear in the final paper, C.P. (45)216, 11 Oct. 1945, in Cab. 129/3.

81 See slightly differing versions of Halifax-Byrnes conversation on 19 Nov. 1945, in E8935/15/31, ibid.; and F.R.U.S., ibid., pp. 827–8. The bill referred to by Byrnes had been tabled in October by senators Wagner and Taft. Ignoring the appeals of both Truman and Byrnes not to tie the hands of the new joint committee, the Senate foreign relations committee went on to approve the resolution by 17–1 on 17 Dec. 1945. On 19 Dec. the House of Representatives also passed a resolution, endorsing the establishment of a ‘Jewish Home' in Palestine. See Snetsinger, Truman, the Jewish vote…’, pp. 24 ff. The State Department consoled itself that the resolution did not call, as previously, for a ‘free and democratic Jewish Commonwealth’, but for a ‘democratic commonwealth in which all men, regardless of race or creed, shall have equal rights’ (F.R.U.S. VIII, 841–2).

82 Bevin-Halifax, 20 Nov. 1945, in E8935/15/31, ibid.; also Halifax-Byrnes, 20 Nov. 1945, in F.R.U.S. VIII, 829.

83 Halifax-F.O., 22 Nov. 1945, in E9058/15/31, F.O. 371/45386.

84 Cadogan minute, 23 Nov. 1945, and Bevin-Halifax, 24 Nov. 1945, in E9059/15/31, F.O. 371/45386; also F.R.U.S. VIII, 830–1.

85 Byrnes-Halifax, 25 Nov. 1945, F.R.U.S. VIII, 831–2.

86 Halifax-Bevin, 26 Nov. 1945, in E9166/15/31, F.O. 371/45386.

87 The committee in fact delivered its report on 20 April 1946, some 109 days after the opening of its hearings in Washington, on 4 January 1946.