Macmahon Letters Published, Show Palestine Not Pledged to Arabs; Parley Still Deadlocked

The British Government today published the much-disputed MacMahon correspondence for the first time, reiterating that the promises to the Arabs did not include modern Palestine, as informal Anglo-Jewish negotiations continued with no settlement of the deadlock over the British proposals in sight.

The correspondence in 1915 between Sir Henry MacMahon, wartime British High Commissioner for Egypt, and Sherif Hussein of Mecca, on which Arabs base a large part of their claims, was issued as an official White Paper. It comprises ten letters to which is annexed a map of the pre-war Turkish districts which included Palestine and Syria.

The Government did not deviate from its reservation excluding from the promises to the Arabs the Vilayet (province) of Beirut, comprising the Palestine coast and interior between Acre and Jaffa as well as the territory west of the District of Damascus, which, in accordance with the statement in 1922 of Winston Churchill, then Colonial Secretary, comprised the rest of modern Palestine.

That the Sherif of Mecca did not accept this reservation is indicated by the fact that one of his letters, dated Nov. 5, 1915, protested that the Vilayets of Alep and Beirut and the coastal regions were “purely Arab.” He stressed that the Moslem and Christian Arabs of these areas were proud of their race and that the Moslems treated the Christian Arabs as their equals, according to the precepts of Caliph Omar Ibn Khattab.

The English text of the correspondence is based on the English draft of Sir Henry’s letters to Sherif Hussein and on a translation of the Sherif’s letters to Sir Henry. Some modifications were made in the English text where the old version did not exactly correspond to the Arabic expressions. The correspondence was prepared by an Anglo-Arab committee.

Today’s Anglo-Jewish meeting at the St. James Palace lasted an hour and fifteen minutes. It was officially stated that the Jewish position, categorically rejecting the British proposals for an independent Palestine state, was further developed. The meeting then adjourned until nine p.m. next Monday.

If the talks continue after Monday they are likely to be conducted only by the Jewish Agency Executive since the Jewish conference committee is dispersing. M.M. Ussishkin, chairman of the Zionist General Council, left for Palestine last night, by way of Paris. Dr. Stephen S. Wise, head of the American Zionist delegation, was to sail tonight on the Queen Mary. Members of the Palestine delegation will leave on Monday and Tuesday, while the remaining Americans, together with Palestine Mizrachi leader Rabbi Meir Berlin, will embark for New York on Wednesday.

Before the afternoon’s session it was stated that if, despite Mr. Chamberlain’s intimation yesterday that the Government was not committed to any proposals so far submitted to the delegations, Colonial Secretary Malcolm MacDonald persisted in talking about proposals which the Jews have already found completely unacceptable the Jewish delegates would decline to continue the discussion. If, however, he indicated that he was prepared to advance new suggestions or wanted the Jews to do so, then the matter would be fully considered on Monday by the full conference committee. The Jews are prepared to consider any proposals based upon the mandate, but will not consider any involving the mandate’s abandonment. According to well-informed sources, if the Jewish side submits proposals these may involve some scheme of partition under the mandate, such as a form of cantonization giving some measure of local autonomy to Arab and Jewish districts.

Mr. Chamberlain was understood yesterday to have assured a delegation comprising Dr. Weizmann, Dr. Wise and David Ben Gurion, that they had drawn incorrect conclusions from the brief and incomplete suggestions put before them, and he generally repeated the arguments used by Mr. MacDonald when he met the Jewish leaders in private and sought to induce tham to resume formal discussions on the basis of the British proposals.

Resumption of even informal talks is taken in well informed circles to indicate that the Government is not committed to any plan yet submitted to either the Arab or Jewish delegation. Arab circles declared, however, that the plan to establish an independent state had been approved by some members of the British Cabinet, in addition to the British negotiators.

During the interview with Mr. Chamberlain, the Jewish delegates were understood to have tried to explain why the proposal for an independent state was completely unacceptable, pointing out that the establishment of such a state now, in view of the present population ratios, would result actually in the independent state’s becoming an Arab state. They were also reported to have pointed out that the minor modifications in the plan which Mr. MacDonald had indicated might be made did not alter the situation since they left the major aspects unchanged.

Reports to the effect that the British Government intended to offer the Jews political parity with the Arabs in the proposed state aroused little enthusiasm among the Jews, who were not aware of the intention. They said there was no assurance of continued political parity in a state where such a numerical disproportion exists as in Palestine (about 45 Jews to every 100 Arabs) and declared further that they believed the Arabs would bitterly oppose such a proposal.

A full debate on Palestine in Commons next week has been reportedly asked by the Labor Party. The party will resist any departure from the Balfour Declaration and will stand by the principle of a Jewish National Home.