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WALLACE H. WHITE, JR., MAINE, CHAIRMAN
CHARLES W. TOBEY, N.H.
EDWIN C. JOHNSON, COLO.
CLYDE M. REED, KANS.
TOM STEWART, TENN.
OWEN BREWSTER, MAINE
ERNEST W. MC FARLAND, ARIZ.
ALBERT W. HAWKES, N. J.
WARREN G. MAGNUSON, WASH.
E. H. MOORE, OKLA.
FRANCIS J. MYERS, PA.
HOMER E. CAPEHART, IND.
BRIEN MC MAHON, CONN.
United States Senate
EDWARD S. JARRETT, CLERK
COMMITTEE ON
INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE
March 4, 1948
Honorable Harry S. Truman
The White House
Washington, D. C.
My dear Mr. President:
As one who has fought with you and behind you on all of those
things which are important to us both as Democrats, but primarily as
Americans, I must get this off my chest, and this seems the best way
to do it - in a personal letter which is not designed for public
circulation as an indication to my constituents of my efforts at
statesmanship, but is purely a heartfelt attempt to help our party and
our country.
As you no doubt know, there has been a veritable uproar in this
country over the American position in the United Nations on Palestine.
The protest is vocal among Jewish citizens, of course; but it is also
genuine among all non-Jews, I believe, who sincerely believe this
United Nations must be made to work.
The news stories on Senator Austin's speech at the UN when the
Palestine debate opened gave the impression, still current, that our
country is "selling out" the Jewish people and undercutting the UN
structure. A few Democratic party leaders in my state, in the lower
political levels, have resigned in protest and have stated categor-
ically they can no longer support our party because of what it has
"done" in the Palestine case. Many Pennsylvanians of Jewish extrac-
tion seem to be as bitter against you and the party over this incident
as some of our brethren from the South profess to be.
I have obtained a copy of Senator Austin's text at the opening
session of the Security Council on Palestine and I have read it. It
strikes me that the main trouble here is sloppy draftsmanship, perhaps
purposely so. I could find nothing in the Austin text to bear out the
charges that the United States has sold out. However, I found vague,
weasel-worded passages so involved and so legalistic and confusing that
it is hard to tell just exactly where we stand. Yet, a careful reading
shows, I think, that fundamentally the United States has not retreated
and is not "selling out."
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"ocrText": "WALLACE H. WHITE, JR., MAINE, CHAIRMAN\nCHARLES W. TOBEY, N.H.\nEDWIN C. JOHNSON, COLO.\nCLYDE M. REED, KANS.\nTOM STEWART, TENN.\nOWEN BREWSTER, MAINE\nERNEST W. MC FARLAND, ARIZ.\nALBERT W. HAWKES, N. J.\nWARREN G. MAGNUSON, WASH.\nE. H. MOORE, OKLA.\nFRANCIS J. MYERS, PA.\nHOMER E. CAPEHART, IND.\nBRIEN MC MAHON, CONN.\nUnited States Senate\nEDWARD S. JARRETT, CLERK\nCOMMITTEE ON\nINTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE\nMarch 4, 1948\nHonorable Harry S. Truman\nThe White House\nWashington, D. C.\nMy dear Mr. President:\nAs one who has fought with you and behind you on all of those\nthings which are important to us both as Democrats, but primarily as\nAmericans, I must get this off my chest, and this seems the best way\nto do it - in a personal letter which is not designed for public\ncirculation as an indication to my constituents of my efforts at\nstatesmanship, but is purely a heartfelt attempt to help our party and\nour country.\nAs you no doubt know, there has been a veritable uproar in this\ncountry over the American position in the United Nations on Palestine.\nThe protest is vocal among Jewish citizens, of course; but it is also\ngenuine among all non-Jews, I believe, who sincerely believe this\nUnited Nations must be made to work.\nThe news stories on Senator Austin's speech at the UN when the\nPalestine debate opened gave the impression, still current, that our\ncountry is \"selling out\" the Jewish people and undercutting the UN\nstructure. A few Democratic party leaders in my state, in the lower\npolitical levels, have resigned in protest and have stated categor-\nically they can no longer support our party because of what it has\n\"done\" in the Palestine case. Many Pennsylvanians of Jewish extrac-\ntion seem to be as bitter against you and the party over this incident\nas some of our brethren from the South profess to be.\nI have obtained a copy of Senator Austin's text at the opening\nsession of the Security Council on Palestine and I have read it. It\nstrikes me that the main trouble here is sloppy draftsmanship, perhaps\npurposely so. I could find nothing in the Austin text to bear out the\ncharges that the United States has sold out. However, I found vague,\nweasel-worded passages so involved and so legalistic and confusing that\nit is hard to tell just exactly where we stand. Yet, a careful reading\nshows, I think, that fundamentally the United States has not retreated\nand is not \"selling out.\""
}