Secretary of State James F. Byrnes today told Dr. Stephen S. Wise and Dr. Nahum Goldmann, American members of the Jewish Agency executive, that the future of the British Palestine proposal rests with President Truman and his Cabinet Committee on Palestine.
The two Zionist leaders, who spent a half-hour with Mr. Byrnes, said that they had outlined their opposition to the “federalization” plan and urged that the United States Government stand by President Truman’s original demand for unconditional admission of 100,000 Jews.
According to a reliable authority, the Secretary of State attempted to persuade Britain to change its position during his talk with Prime Minister Attlee, but agreed reluctantly to go along with the British when Attlee remained adamant. It is understood here that London is exerting great pressure on Washington for issuance of a joint Anglo-American statement supporting the British proposal, possibly to coincide with the opening of the debate on Palestine in Commons tomorrow.
The feeling in Jewish circles here is that such a statement is virtually certain to be issued shortly unless public opinion in the United States forces President Truman to disregard Mr. Byrnes’ recommendation.
All of the Jewish Agency members, including those from Palestine, are expected to arrive here by tomorrow to attend the special meeting of Zionist leaders which is scheduled to open the end of this week.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
