84  D.R.Wahl to A.H.Silver (New York)

COPY: ISA 93.03/2268/16

[New York] 15 may 1947

Dear Dr.Silver,

  As you may have been informed, I have done considerable work, both with the Soviet embassy and with the Soviet delegation in New York. I must report to you that the embassy in Washington has been most anxious to receive all possible help and suggestions for the benefit of their delegation at the United Nations. They submitted by special pouch to their delegation all materials which I had gethered from the Zionist Emergency Council office and the Jewish Agency office in Washington. In addition to my seeing Mr.Gromyko and Mr. Tsarapkin personally in New York, the Soviet embassy in Washington transmitted to them by pouch a special covering memorandun of analysis which I prepared, setting forth the desires of the Agency and the American Jewish community vis-a-vis the Palestine situation.

I must report to you that in all my discussions with the embassy and with the Soviet delegation I found no resistance to the expression_rs of the Jewish people as stated in the official Agency policy positions, and it is a matter of great gratification to me, as it must be to you, that the Soviet delegation perfprmed beyond what we have been accustomed to expect from any Great Power in our behalf. I wish to state categorically that it woulkd be grievous error to attribute the performance of the Soviet delegation to any overwhelming ability on the part of myself or any other special pleader to convince them of the position they should take. I think it is only practical to realize that conviction was possible because there was also coincidence of interest and attitude.

In only one respect did I find the Soviet delegation going out of its way to alter a position which it was about to take. That had to do with the stand on the composition of the inquiry commission. Mr.Gromko was rather surprised

196页

to learn that the Agency preferred to include Great Britain, the Arab countries and neutral countries, as well as the Agency, in a non-voting capacity. Originally (and this is extremely confidential) they had planned to take a stand which would exclude Great Britain, the Arab powers and the Great Powers, in order to give the Jewish community of Palestine a better advantage. It was when I transmitted to them the instruction of the Agency executive that they are willing to change their stand and come out favourably for inclusion of the big five as well as the Agency, even though it meant including the Arab countries.1 [The composition of UNSCOP was a subject of American-Soviet dispute in the last stages of the Special Session of the UN General Assembly. The Soviet delegation preferred a large committee made up of the five permanent members of the Security Council, with the addition of six other members, representing the various blocs of the Assembly, including an Arab state. The Americans proposed a small committee of disinterested state. Eventually a compromise was reached: none of the Great powers was represented on it, but it comprised 11 members, incluuding two countries from the Slav bloc. Both the Arab states and the Jewish Agency were excluded from the committee.] From personal conversation I can report to you, the press to the contrary notwithsanding, that there was the greatest antagonism between the Arab delegation[s] and the Soviet delegation. There is indeed much more compatibility between the Soviet delegation. There is indeed much more compatibility between the Soviet delegates and Agency aspirations.

  I report this to you in some detail because, while this is the first time in which I had specific contact with Soviet representatives in connection with the Palestine matter, it is in keeping with the generous attitude which they have expressed with respect to Jewish displaced persons which is quite at variance with their stand on non-Jewish Dps. Were I to review my experience of the past year and a half with the displace persoms problem, I would have to report in all fairness that it was the cooperation of the Soviet government in repatriating many many thousands of Polish Jews which made it possible to build up the Jewish DP population now in Germany from 70,000 at war’s end, to almost a quarter of a million at the present time, and certainly no one will gainsay that it is the pressure of this large jewish DP population which is of inestimable value to the Zionist cause with respect to increasing immigration to Palestine and building towards a Jewish majority in Palestine.

  I report this to you in the hope that both the Agency and the Zionist Organization, their gratification with the soviet contribution to progress at [the] United Nations, particularly as to the clarification of issues. I should like also to urge that at this time and in the new climate which has been developed, the Agency do its utmost to establish rapport for future reference with the Soviet[s] in order to counter-balance the anti-Jewish attitude representative of both the British and American attitudes as expressed in the course of this United Nations debate.

  With sincere regards,

                                                       David R. Wahl

                                                  Washington Secretary

 197页

85 Ch.Greenberg to B.Locker (London)

TEL: CZA Z4/10388II

[New York] 20 May 1947

Benartzi [Gromyko] in conversation David [Ben-Gurion], Nahum [Goldmann], merely asked question about cretain aspects baluka [partition]. Didn’t add any thing of importamce to contents his address.1 [See Doc.83] When asked about possibility our taking up matters with his superiors replied this unnecessary since he here but promised report.

  Regards,

                                                    Greenberg