Hi John & All:
God has blessed me to be a member of the Israel Society of Philatelists, and to have acquired several condition-rare, first-issue stamps from the Palestine Mandate period, from a Jewish dealer in Great Britain.
While I was doing some postal-history research on key historical dates for the city of Jerusalem during that era, I happened to come across a rather startling document from the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library. The item was a four page preliminary draft, State Department memorandum of conversation, that was dated May 4th, 1948 -- just 10 days prior to the birth of the Jewish State.
The memorandum was drawn up by Clark Clifford, who was Press Secretary for President Truman at the time, and gave a
detailed conversation that took place earlier that day, between Clifford and the influential Dr. Judah Magnes, who was President of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
During their conversation they discussed such things as the ongoing tension in the Holy Land, as well as the need to find someone who had the power to bring both sides (Jews and Arabs), together. Here are some excerpts:
I told Dr. Magnes that the essence of the problem in
Palestine was the absence of trust between the parties
at issue. Neither side would believe the other and this,
coupled with the fact that the problem was overlaid by
side issues and
affected by politics, made the matter
one of immense difficulty. I said that on the military side
I could clearly forsee what was going to happen. The
Jews had won the first round and were encouraged
by their successes. At this point Dr. Magnes said that
time was on the side of the Arabs. The Jews were
short on time. They sought to strike quickly, without
realizing that the Arabs could afford to wait and would
eventually overwhelm them ....
Speaking of the truce, Dr. Magnes greatly doubted that
a truce could be worked out by the United Nations,
operating some six or seven thousand miles distant
from the scene. He thought a real truce could only be
developed on the spot in Palestine ....
Dr. Magnes then turned to the problem of Jerusalem.
He said he had lived in Jerusalem for 25 years. He
knew its people, both Arabs and Jews, perhaps as
well as any living man. He assured me with great
conviction and intensity that the populace of
Jerusalem - Jew and Arab alike - is heartily sick
of
the situation in which they find themselves, and that
their burning desire is peace ....
Dr. Magnus said that if the United Nations could send
some man of integrity and character to Jerusalem,
preferably a man from a religious call of life, he
thought that the populace of Jerusalem would
gather behind such a leader, to provide a regime
of peace for the
Holy City. Dr. Magnus was certain
of success, if such an [individual] of the proper
qualifications could be sent ....
[Further], to establish a truce for all of Palestine,
Dr. Magnus thought that this man should have
perhaps other qualifications [as well]. He should be
a man of action, and capable of rapid decisions ....
I told Dr.Magnus that this was the most straightforward
account on Palestine I had heard, and asked if he had
an appointment to see the President. He replied that he
had not but very much hoped it would be possible to call
at the White House. I asked McClintock to make
arrangements for Dr. Magnes to see the President.
As Dr. Magnes was leaving, he asked permission to
direct a very blunt question: "Do you think there is
any chance to impose a solution on Palestine?"
I replied ... that I would be glad to give the matter
[of U.S. military involvement], further thought.
Knowing what the Bible says about the endtimes, the qualifications listed by Dr. Magnes for a Middle East leader, sound eerily prophetic.
See ya in the air,
Eric