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DEPA. STATE Department of State :0 STATES STATE AMERICA UNITED TELEGRAM SECRET 0 291010Z APR 69 #5 FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 68890 TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6039 1969 APR 29 AM 7:45 STATE GRNC BT SECRET SECTION 2 OF 2 TEL AVIV 1573 NODIS DELIVER OPENING OF BUSINESS APRIL 29 FOR ASSISTANT SECRETARY SISCO REF: STATE 065414 % THERE IS ONE SUBSTANTIVE PARAGRAPH (POINT 13 IN DRAFT DOCUMENT) ON WHICH I WISH REITERATE PREVIOUSLY VOICED STRONG RESERVATIONS. SETTLEMENT OF THE REFUGEE PROBLEM ON THE BASIS OF QUOTE FREE CHOICE UNQUOTE HAS ELUDED US FOR TWENTY YEARS. DURING THAT PEIOD THE ARABS HAVE MAINTAINED THE REFUGEES AS A POLITICAL WEAPON AND OUR SUPPORT FOR QUOTE FREE CHOICE UNQUOTE HAS ENABLED THEM TO DO SO UNDER THE CAMOUFLAGE OF HUMANITARIAN CONSIDERATION FOR THE REFUGEES' WISHES. A MAJOR EFFORT (BY JOSEPH JOHNSON) BASED ON AN ATTEMPT TO RECONCILE LIP SERVICE TO FREE CHOICE WITH OUR POLITICAL ESTIMATE THAT FEW WOULD IN FACT WISH TO RETURN FAILED TO GET OFF THE GROUND. AT THAT TIME ISRAEL COULD PROBABLY HAVE BEEN PERSUADED TO TAKE BACK SOME 100,000. BUT SUBVERSIVE THREATS WERE NOT AS GREAT THEN AS NOW. I THINK OUR CHANCES OF SUCCESS ON THIS POINT HAVE BEEN CORRESPONDINGLY LESSENED. INCIDENTALLY, MRS MEIR, AS FONMIN, HAD THE ANNUAL TASK IN THE UN YEAR AFTER YEAR OF JUSTIFYING ISRAEL'S POSITION, AND REBUTTING THE POLEMICS OF ALL ARAB SPOKESMEN, SHE IS MINUTELY AWARE OF AND IMPERVIOUS TO ALL THE ARGUMENTS WHICH HAVE BEEN ADDUCED. IN ANY CASE, IF IT IS STILL OUR JUDGMENT THAT ONLY A FEW PRE-1948 REFUGEES WOULD WISH TO RETURN IF OFFERED THE ALTERNATIVE OF RESETTLEMENT AND COMPENSATION, COULD WE NOT DEVISE A NEW APPROACH CONCENTRATING ON THE LARGE MAJORITY. TO BE RESETTLED AND COMPENSATED? NUMERICALLY AT LEAST BY SO DOING WE WOULD BE ACCOMPLISHING MORE TOWARD A PRACTICAL SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM THAN WE WILL BY REVERTING TO THE STERILE FORMULAE WHICH HAVE FAILED FOR TWENTY YEARS. 8. IN SUMMARY, I AGREE WITH THE GENERAL ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION CONTAINED IN THE SUPPORTING MEMORANDUM, ACCEPT THE SUGGESTED COURSE OF ACTION FROM THE THREE ALTERNATIVES BUT TAKE ISSUE AS TO THE FIRST STEP IN PROCEDURE AND ALSO WITH POINT 13 OF THE PAPER. IN BRIEFEST LANGUAGE, SECRET

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Page context
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    "ocrText": "DEPA.\nSTATE\nDepartment of State\n:0 STATES STATE AMERICA UNITED\nTELEGRAM\nSECRET\n0 291010Z APR 69\n#5\nFM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV\n68890\nTO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6039\n1969 APR 29 AM 7:45\nSTATE GRNC\nBT\nSECRET SECTION 2 OF 2 TEL AVIV 1573\nNODIS\nDELIVER OPENING OF BUSINESS APRIL 29\nFOR ASSISTANT SECRETARY SISCO\nREF: STATE 065414\n% THERE IS ONE SUBSTANTIVE PARAGRAPH (POINT 13 IN DRAFT\nDOCUMENT) ON WHICH I WISH REITERATE PREVIOUSLY VOICED STRONG\nRESERVATIONS. SETTLEMENT OF THE REFUGEE PROBLEM ON THE\nBASIS OF QUOTE FREE CHOICE UNQUOTE HAS ELUDED US FOR TWENTY\nYEARS. DURING THAT PEIOD THE ARABS HAVE MAINTAINED THE REFUGEES\nAS A POLITICAL WEAPON AND OUR SUPPORT FOR QUOTE FREE CHOICE\nUNQUOTE HAS ENABLED THEM TO DO SO UNDER THE CAMOUFLAGE\nOF HUMANITARIAN CONSIDERATION FOR THE REFUGEES'\nWISHES. A MAJOR EFFORT (BY JOSEPH JOHNSON) BASED\nON AN ATTEMPT TO RECONCILE LIP SERVICE TO FREE CHOICE WITH\nOUR POLITICAL ESTIMATE THAT FEW WOULD IN FACT WISH TO\nRETURN FAILED TO GET OFF THE GROUND. AT THAT TIME ISRAEL\nCOULD PROBABLY HAVE BEEN PERSUADED TO TAKE BACK SOME\n100,000. BUT SUBVERSIVE THREATS WERE NOT AS GREAT\nTHEN AS NOW. I THINK OUR CHANCES OF SUCCESS ON THIS POINT\nHAVE BEEN CORRESPONDINGLY LESSENED. INCIDENTALLY, MRS MEIR,\nAS FONMIN, HAD THE ANNUAL TASK IN THE UN YEAR AFTER YEAR\nOF JUSTIFYING ISRAEL'S POSITION, AND REBUTTING THE POLEMICS\nOF ALL ARAB SPOKESMEN, SHE IS MINUTELY AWARE OF AND\nIMPERVIOUS TO ALL THE ARGUMENTS WHICH HAVE BEEN ADDUCED.\nIN ANY CASE, IF IT IS STILL OUR JUDGMENT THAT ONLY A FEW\nPRE-1948 REFUGEES WOULD WISH TO RETURN IF OFFERED THE\nALTERNATIVE OF RESETTLEMENT AND COMPENSATION, COULD WE NOT\nDEVISE A NEW APPROACH CONCENTRATING ON THE LARGE MAJORITY.\nTO BE RESETTLED AND COMPENSATED? NUMERICALLY AT LEAST BY SO\nDOING WE WOULD BE ACCOMPLISHING MORE TOWARD A PRACTICAL\nSOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM THAN WE WILL BY REVERTING TO THE\nSTERILE FORMULAE WHICH HAVE FAILED FOR TWENTY YEARS.\n8. IN SUMMARY, I AGREE WITH THE GENERAL ANALYSIS OF THE\nSITUATION CONTAINED IN THE SUPPORTING MEMORANDUM, ACCEPT\nTHE SUGGESTED COURSE OF ACTION FROM THE THREE ALTERNATIVES\nBUT TAKE ISSUE AS TO THE FIRST STEP IN PROCEDURE AND\nALSO WITH POINT 13 OF THE PAPER. IN BRIEFEST LANGUAGE,\nSECRET"
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