DOCUMENTS ON ISRAELI—SOVIET RELATION

Page98

was no objection to their leaving for Palestine. We were gratified by the position taken by your government, but it appears that the situation has not changed. The immigrants in question have their certificates and transit visas arranged for them, but they cannot get exit visas.

   We are informed by the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem that it is essential that permission be granted to leave on behalf of the Allied Military Control Commission3 and, primarily, on behalf of your authorities, otherwise exit visas cannot be obtained. I need not tell you what it means to get those for whom we have received certificates into Palestine, or what it means for those who cannot make a living in Romania and whose only hope is to be able to start a new life in Palestine.

   May I add that the same situation prevails in Hungary and the same permission to leave is necessary for the exit of those Hungarian Jews who have certificates for Palestine.

   May I request that you communicate with your government and submit our request that permission be granted by your authorities in Romania and Bulgaria for certificated Jews to leave for Palestine. The same request applies to Hungary. I should be most grateful if this communication would be cabled and if you would let us hear from you as soon as you have a replay4.

   Sincerely yours,

                                                  Nahum Goldmann

49 N.Goldmann to A.A.Gromyko(San Francisco)

TEL:CZA Z6/2298

[New York]30 May 1945

Report in today’s New York Times indicated that Soviet delegation intends proposing elimination paragraph five trusteeship plan1. This paragraph pending further decisions safeguards rights of all including rights of Jewish people under existing mandate. First part of paragraph five leaves the way open for

注释

Doc.48

3. The body controlling civil and military life in Romania after the armistice of 2 September was actually dominated by the Soviet.

4. See Doc.50.

Doc.49

1.       Reference is to the report form the UN Constituent Conference in San Francisco by James Reston, ’Nation Gets Vote on Use of Force If It Supplies Men’. Clause five upheld the status quo and was seen by many as a means of ensuring the rights of Palestine Jews. Moscow suggested that the clause be eliminated altogether, but faced US objections. The clause was ultimately incorporated in the UN Charter as Article 80. Regarding the Soviet position on trusteeship for Palestine, see Docs.51 and 69.

Page 99

futher decisions regarding arrangements and disposition of these territories and provides all necessary flexibility in this respect. The effect of the paragraph as a whole is while avoiding any freezing of status of these territories meanwhile to preserve existing rights. Jewish people everywhere have keenly appreciated support hitherto given this proposal by Soviet representatives. Its elimination at this time would be clearly prejudicial to our rights and might be misunderstood and misinterpreted. Am confident Soviet government has no such intention and for that reason we earnestly urge against any action tending towards elimination this safeguarding paragraph.

   Regards.

                                                        Nahum Goldmann

50 B.Locker to A.M.Kukin(London)

COPY:CZA Z4/10138

London, 10 June 1945

Dear Nr. Kukin,

   May I now put before you in writing the problem which I discussed with you last Friday?

   There are thousands of Jews in Romania and Bulgaria who long to be able to emigrate to Palestine1. Their position in those countries appears to be still very difficult, although the discriminatory laws have, of course, been abolished. After all they have gone through under the old regimes, and especially since Romania and Bulgaria joined the Axis; it is extremely difficult for them to adapt themselves again to life in those countries. Their economic position is ruined, and their families, especially in Romania, largely broken up. On the other hand, many of them have relatives in Palestine who would be eager and able to economic independence again there. Some of the younger people have gone through preparatory training for agricultural and industrial life in Palestine.

   As you will recall, some hundreds of these people were allowed,some months back, to leave Romania via Bulgaria, and you yourself were good enough to make enquiries with regard to certain difficulties (subsequently removed) which arose in connection with their passage of the Bulgaro-Turkish frontier. But now, for some months past, it has been impossible to leave Romania or Bulgaria for Palestine, the Jewish Agency has allotted about 1200 certificates to these two countries, but they cannot be used because of these difficulties.

注释

1.       See Doc.48

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   It is hard for us to understand why such difficulties should arise, and we believe that if your government or its representative on the Inter-Allied Control Commission, would intervence with the appropriate authorities, the obstacles could be removed. May I ask you, on purely humanitarian grounds, to convey this request to your government? As the problem is now many months old, further delay can only cause additional suffering, and we should therefore be extremely grateful for immediate action2.

   Yours sincerely,

                                                           B.Locker

51 Memorandum of the Commission for Preparation of Peace Agreements and Postwar Settlement1

COPY:AVP RF,F.07,OP.12A,P42,D.6,Ll.1,29-38

Moscow, 27 July 1945

Top Secret

             THE PALESTINE QUESTION

Statistical and Geographical Date2

Palestine is located on the south-eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Transjordan in the east, Syriz in the north and north-east, and Egypt in the south-west. Its area is 26,158 sq.km. the population (according to date for 1937) was 1,383,000,of which 61 per cent of total exports (in value terms) consist of citrus fruits. The remainder is made up of potash, soap, knitted goods, olive oil and wine. Imports consist of food products, wood products, mineral fuels, cotton, metals and metal products, electrical appliances, machinery and other industrial equipment. Until 1937 the largest quantity of imports came from Great Britain, but in 1937 Germany took first place. Exports went mainly to great Britain.

注释

Doc.50

2.No reply has been traced.

Doc.51

1.The Commission for Preparation of Peace Agreements and Postwar Settlement operated at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the chairmanship of Litvinov,1943-45.

The commission invited 28 memoranda by experts on various subjects.

2.The section ‘Statistical and Geographical Date’ is reproduced in toto from the  entry ‘Palestine’, Bol’shaia sovetskaia entsklopediia (Moscow, 1939), Vol.43,pp.816,817,820.