Telegram from William C. Burdett, Jr. to Secretary of State Dean Acheson, with Related Material
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OCR Page 1 of 9The Foreign Service
of the
United States of America
Y
American Consulate General
Jerusalem, Palestine
April 11, 1949
Dear Mr. President:
Thank you very much for your most thoughtful letter about the death of my mother.
She had been in ill health for several years, but seemed to be much better when
I left the United States. It was of course a great sorrow to me that I could not be
with her.
This is by far the toughest assignment you have ever given to me. The Arabs
are shocked and stupefied by their defeat and have great bitterness toward the
UN and the United States. The Jews are too close to the blood of their war and
their narrow escape, as they regard it, from extinction, and too close to the
bitterness of their fight against the British mandate to exercise any degree of
statesmanship yet. They still feel too strongly that their security lies in
military might instead of in good relations with their neighbors, That is
fantastic, of course, for so small a country and I have tried to point out to them
that by not making peace quickly they are endangering their own security by
stimulating Arab irridentism, and the security of America and the Western
World. In other words, the absence of peace plays into Russia's hands.
The Arabs have made what the Commission considers very great concessions;
the Jews have made none so far. I appreciate greatly the help you have given
along that line and will of course be grateful if you will keep the pressure up.
I am convinced that there is no sound solution to the refugee problem --
that is, no solution that will not continue dangerous political agitation
short of the application of Point 4 of your inaugural message to the Middle
East. I have been working with George McGhee, who was in charge for the
State Department of the implementation of the Truman Doetrine. He was,
as you know, sent out by the Department to look into the refugee situation,
He and I are agreed on what we consider a sound approach. He returns to
the United States nekt week and I have asked Mr. Acheson if he will not seek
an appointment for him with you.
Again, thank you very much for your many evidences of kindness and
confidence.
Sincerely yours,
/s/
Mark Ethridge
DECLASSIFIED
E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) or (E)
Dept. of State letter, 1365675
By NITHE , NARS DatoF2675
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