campaigns inundating the warehouse with telegrams and holding large public meetings and demonstrations. between 1947 and 48 the white house received 48,000 telegrams, 790,000 cards, 81,000 other pieces of mail on the subject. american jews were willing to help the cause financially. some help to pay for the refugee ships including the exodus in 1947, some of the mitel heard of which brought jewish survivors to palestine even though they were considered legal by the british and created trouble for the state department and determine. when david and gold am i year came to america asking for many for arms to defend themselves against the arabs many americans opened their

checkbooks. but the support for the refugees and in the creation of the jewish state in the far beyond the jewish communities. a poll taken in by have the can 12 march 19451 month before trimming became president show half of the americans knew about establishing a jewish state in palestine. of those who were familiar, three /1 were in favor and a large majority thought the government should use its influence to establish it. the intelligentsia also supported the cause including educators, union leaders and publishers and journalists. what of the most effective was the publisher of the nation magazine whose reports helps with u.n. delegates to vote for partition in 1947 for the most important trimming came

to the presidency sympathetic to the zionist goals and plight of the jewish survivors. eight days after becoming president he was visited by the american scientist delegation headed by rabbi stephen wise. truman told them he supported their cause but was concerned about opposition from the state department. he was to encounter this in very short order when the state department told him not to listen to the zionist when they contacted him, creating a jewish state would require hundreds of thousands of american troops and was start world for three. this is the beginning of the struggle of the striped pants conspirators in the state department as well as the british and arabs over the future of palestine. now, i am going to step down and ron will talk more about that subject

[applause] >> i'm going to begin with the partition broke 1947 and take it from there through truman's recognition of israel. this was a particularly tense period. one of the things we do in the book is treat the entire development to the partition vote and there was a number of commissions reached we cannot given to now trying to study the situation and come up with pertinent solutions come up with british and american delegates and by the time of the partition vote, the united states has supported the

partition vote and twisted arms to get the delegates and up to the last minute, the jewish agency represented in palestine and in new york did cut know if the votes would go through. they did go through. the un voted to set up and what was palestine, a jewish state and the arab state. of course, the british announced they would give up their mandates that had been awarded by the league of nations and world 41 may 15, 1948. at this point* the irony is that after the partition about which the united states supported, the state department led by the president of united states people working this debate -- state department represented as of the administration the state

department began a very conscious long-term sustained effort to reverse a decision on partition to overturn tremendous supporter partition and to try to create a new trust the ship for palestine which with the things the way they were when the british had control of palestine. first, a comment on the british. winston churchill, the a great line from world war ii surprisingly, lost the election and in the middle of the conference in july 1945, the labor party won a and created a new government and the new prime minister was going to be ernest bevin. he would turn out to be not only opposed to a jewish state but some say are you

personally anti-semitic and hostile one a personal level to a creation of a jewish state in palestine. he would have liked the mandate that britain had to continue possibly with united states replacing the british but with the same policies in tact. this is ironic because labor party had a long tradition of supporting the jewish state and we ever monitions if you look at what people in jewish palestine were saying, there was a euphoria when labor, when they heard over the radio the labor party had won and created a new government they believed this finally means the restrictions on immigration by the white paper the british had instituted, restrictions of jewish immigration would be lifted and they would eventually get a jewish state. the euphoria would be

short-lived because in a few days it became quite apparent that labor victory would not be good for the zionist cause. under ernest bevin, the labor party opposed any lifting of immigration and into palestine by the jews. they refused, one of the things the commission had recommended and truman was very firm about the 100,000 jews of the displaced persons camps come in the 100,000 common forget about the other issues but at least the 100,000 in the camps would be immediately allowed into palestine. the british made it clear they would not do this, it would be a small quota, a few thousand per year and not one more than that. third, the arabs. the arabs have one position, palestine should be

an arab country that would be one state, palestine, as the arab country in which jews or some jews could live as a minority. no more jews from anywhere could be allowed into palestine nor could any way and we sold to them. there have this position constantly without change 1945 through 1948. in the anglo-american committee went to study the situation came to palestine to investigate, the arabs made a horrendous impression on them. as commissioner james mcdonald who would become the first ambassador to israel, he wrote in his diary the arabs made the impression of such unyielding this it would be impossible to win them by any sort of compromise. a polish delegate recorded, we

asked for 100% of our claims and the others can share the rest. the arabs were completely recalcitrant. they wanted everything. the foreign minister of lebanon said all of the issues that came to palestine since november of 1917 the date of the balfour declaration, all of them were considered illegal immigrants and he said once the arab state was created he thought they should deport 400,000 jews from palestine so the jewish population could number no more than 50,000. that was the arab position. one of the things we do in the book, is the role of the great mufti of jerusalem.

of course, you had collaborated and lived in nazi germany and working closely with the nazi is hoping for the arrow victory that installed him as the chief representative of the nazis in palestine. his cousin, jamal, was at this point* a leader of the arab league in the higher committee. he was asked, because i was asked by the americans, what would happen if palestine was made an entire arab state? he to said that 30% of the jews would have to leave and the rest would have to except a minority status living under the arab law. moreover, he said it was readily apparent that the head

of the new palestinians all arab state would be the grand mufti. when asked by members of the press, was in the mufti in germany working with the nazis? he responded that the grand mufti thought only hitler would be victorious and only work with him because he wanted to get something of the german victory for himself. to one of the american commissioners in republican member who was a liberal was sent to the mufti cousin speak and he said, referring to the anti-semites gerald smith he said listening to the cuts and that this man is gerald smith in eighth does. he said he was brilliant and we went but it was a great mistake to assess the leadership would be that of the grand mufti.

the propaganda office published the problem of palestine that was distributed and it said "the whole arab people is unalterably opposed to oppose jewish emigration and settlement and ultimately to establish a jewish state from palestine. they wanted to say they would not except in a report of any of the commission's particular one of the u.n. commission's the majority called for a partition and they said howard weil was to "tranche the hulu band with the last drop of our blood in the lawful defense of a lot and every inch of it. it was a simple program "no partition, a new jewish emigration, no jewish state. you could only accept the independent democratic era of

state embracing all of palestine. another argument they've made, you might know tell similar some of the arguments made 50 years ago or similar to what you hear today the jews had no ancient history, the jews had no connection at all. and they said it is based on the desire to live in undisturbed possession of the country where the arabs continually existed in which they become inextricably interwoven. the jews were not defendants of ancient palesti the declaration was a violation of the league of nations in determination lot and not legitimate and as far as they were concerned the zionist goal was to prepare a jewish invasion to take palestine from the arab inhabitants. the fifth point* where this thing we could figure between

bed jewish head of the agency in new york that would become israel's first ambassador to the u.s. he changed his name later, editor of the magazine and her associates believe schultz, now if you know, "the nation" magazine today if you know, how important it was to the zionist cause it was the single major influential media organ fighting on a regular basis on behalf of the jewish state. and epstein wrote to one of the editors lilly shoals "i can smell of official washington is not all jubilant about the decision taken by the united nations and backed by the white house. he wrote i see a great deal of

disappointment coupled with bitterness among many who do not like the idea of the jewish state's and who will not easily digest it. he was right. the state department went out on its own to do what they could to reverse the policy. first, without telling truman, the state department instituted the famous arms embargo so they could defend. of the embargo was declared on the state department without checking with tremendous and was it was done he felt he could not publicly then oppose them, it will look foolish if he acknowledged publicly this was not his order but the state department for co-chairmen went along with their probably because he was anxious to proclaim anything

that had the effect to lead to american military troops entering the battle field. at this point* the state department proceeds of the plan to turn back partition and the trusteeship. one of the things german gets first-come a couple months right after the partition vote, is a major document written by two men, roy henderson a man who will become that it became the head of the middle eastern policy and his associate george kennedy. this is a strangely overlooked memory -- memo because he is the architect of a doctorate of containment and wrote the famous letter and policy statement and the telegram he sent from moscow to the united states advocating a new policy to contain the soviet union

and to frame cold war foreign policy for the next few decades. but henderson and kaman were both in moscow during the war years. and he came back he found he was ahead of the head of the policy department and was old friends from moscow. he worked with 10% on this memo and this is what they told truman, imagine here's a new president kept out of the loop by fdr getting this memo from someone as brilliant and forceful as jfk, they wrote the united states supports a partition already brought about loss of u.s. prestige and disillusionment among the arabs. the saudis warned where the anti-american mood american oil basis and oil concessions

and foreign bases were in danger. if partition became reality, they warned moderate arabs would be swept out of power and replaced by extremists. particularly come with eight warned the grand mufti of jerusalem. than the arabs "would hate the west in direct proportion to the support of the zionist army's and of the partition in particular. then secondly if it occurs at a jewish state created do become a threat to the success of the marshall plan because the arabs would cut off the oil supply to the west in europe would not have oil hence no reconstruction. then the soviets would gain entry into the middle east because they would say we have to come restore order.

at that point* communist agents would get an excellent base which to extend subversive activities. the decision for partitioned says it is favorable to soviet objectives and to score a non-communist country. of the soviets would partition iraq, turkey and greece and said that more soviet space throw the world with peace and security of the near east would be over. now for the other domestic repercussion common this to, as my year can and it warned if not abandoned anti-semitism would prosper in the west and we would see a new anti-jewish education that would make it more difficult for jews to assimilate and they would appear "as the alien political factor. they warned the position of the issues would be greatly

undermined as it becomes evident to the public is in the supporting a jewish state we were supporting the extreme objectives of political zionism to the detriment of american national security interest. finally, a jewish state could not survive unless the u.s. entered with its own troops come economic aid and with arms and the conclusions united states should take no further initiative to implement or aid partition. again, what struck me with some differences according to the time period, house similar this is to the realist argument today. some of the same arguments, anti-semitism we'll ride in the west, one-fourth of the jews, they want a state of their own and if they don't

have it there will not be anti-semitism at home. an amazing document. truman gets this kind of message from the so-called experts. unfortunately there were other people advising truman as well, chairman also wanted a legal opinion he went to a man named oscar ewing on idiocy who ran the federal security agency and said give me a judgment would a jewish state the legal under nashville lot? he studied the situation and concluded that a jewish state would be legal and not a violation of any law he said palestine was turkish and the allies had given part of it to the jews who now have indisputable title to it there for the u.s. he recommended and stick to partition but at

this point* the issue would be turned back to the united nations. the head of the american delegation was a man named warren g. boston. warren austan gave a famous speech in march. up this point* one who plus studying and talking to delegates at the u.n., warned truman that in conjunction with the state department was planning to double cross truman and she had spoken to the under secretary of state and he was telling the press the state was beginning to take steps to revise the partition and she warned truman in a couple of telegrams they are really trying to double cross you.

austan prepared this speech in march. this is a speech in which he will say among other things that trusteeship might still be a possibility to consider if and when it is necessary. truman was given in a draft of this statement and is an issue of contention. what happened? austan said he gave truman a draft of what he was going to say and he approved it. truman would later explain that most people might argue that is what happened, that's if is the un general assembly when the security council has studied the situation and said we can't go forward, the divisions are growing and we have to temporarily come up with other solutions because the fighting is going on and, at that point* he might say we can put up a decision for filed with the trusteeship

but that was to be temporary. at any rate, where an austin would give a speech to the when that knocked the rug out from under truman and gave a speech that was widely interpreted to be that he announced in the mid march speech we are now going to go back to supporting trusteeship and not supporting partition and this is when austan said in a famous quote to the state department pulled the rug out from under me today, they made me out to be a double cross sir, a liar he called a special cabinet meeting and was a furious. clearly the state department was trying to do things to make the reversal of policy a real yvette.

-- yves fined. epstein said again a great conspiracy is brewing in washington. he saw it for what it was a conspiracy in this state department and the defense department as well as the cia it is a moods policy to stop the creation of a jewish state. forcibly truman's adviser clark clifford who had replaced rosenmen and became the first national security director told german it was really not unthinkable to reverse partition that what they should do is get the arabs to accept it and if they do not come much condemn them as the aggressors. clifford told german that warren austin speech from the state department position was completely fallacious and partitioned was in complete harmony with the policy of united states as has been stated to allow trusteeship to

become policy now would actually lead to the very military involvement truman wanted to avoid. he said his position would harm the less, heart western unity and he told truman "we crossed the rubicon on this matter when the wind adopted the partition resolution largely your assistance program free backtrack to appease the arabs they will treat us "with contempt in light of our appeasement" end quote. so any way warren austin did give the speech which became as a bombshell because no one expected it, rabbi silver had speaking rights at the u.n. as a representative of the jewish agency and he got up after

warren austin speech and said immediately and took the podium and said your speeches a shocking reversal of the american position, which in fact, it was. what the state department did was use truman's willingness to allow other things as a contingency if they have to be put in place temporarily as an excuse to develop a new policy. the secretary general of the un went to see warren austin and his apartment and told him to his face you issued a blow to the united nations and even the victorious laid not anti-semitic as it editorialized the u.s. was bowling to arab threats and warren austin speech was a shabby trick on the jewish community and palestine but one man who was not to worried

was the grand old man of world zionism for hiro to the letter to a friend to ask his comment on warren austin speech, this is a stillborn project produced on the spur of the moment by a fertile brain in the american state department. weitzman told truman he would sure the american president would keep emphasizing the need for partition as the only possible solution for security and peace in the middle east. weizmann toward you cannot turn the clock back before the partition vote to. the only choice he wrote truman, for the jewish people, is between statehood and extermination. history and providence have placed this issue in your hands. and i am confident that you have yet decided in the spirit

of moral law. in a sense, but weizmann was right. two men had not chosen to be put into this position but as truman himself came to think, it was the quote that was mentioned that providence placed this heavy responsibility in his hands and fortunately for the jews the world over truman held his ground and even with the opposition of such a sterling figures of george c. marshall, he came out at the last minute without anybody knowing what he would do in the face a moment, for recognition of the new jewish state of israel. [applause] . .