President Truman’s Statement on Palestine Gets Mixed Reaction from American Press

Press reaction to the statement on Palestine by President Truman varied greatly, with some papers hailing his decision to seek authorization for the entry of additional refugees into the United States, and others charging that it contributed nothing to solution of the Palestine problem.

In an editorial headed “A Grave Disappointment,” the New York Herald-Tribune said that “it was hoped that with actual American participation in studies of Palestine affairs would come the development of an American policy on Palestine–a policy recognizing that to influence events in the Holy Land the United States must incur certain obligations there. This hope Mr. Truman has largely dispelled.

“Admittedly, the related problems of Palestine and of the displaced persons are thorny,” the newspaper continued. “But the effort to find a path through them cannot be postponed indefinitely, or accomplished by merely intoning such words as ‘conciliation’ in the face of actual violence. Mr. Truman’s statement is a grave disappointment.”

The New York Times, however, welcomed the President’s statement on immigration of refugees to the U.S., but warned that “we could not morally and probably could not constitutionally place religious qualifications on intending immigrants. We must admit them under the quota system by countries of origin.” The settlement of some Jews in Palestine, the Times added, “is certainly a part of a solution… We must look beyond Palestine, however much we may deplore the shocking violence there… We must look beyond the followers of any one religion… We must use our influence to promote peace in Palestine… Humanity is charged with changing these displaced persons into placed persons,” the newspaper concluded.