April 20, 1946

With the US and Great Britain at odds about whether Palestine should be a destination for Jews who survived WWII, the inquiry results in calling for 100,000 Jewish immigrants to go to Palestine. Great Britain balks. President Truman, who only wants Palestine as a destination for displaced Jews, endorses the idea. Bevin, the British Foreign Minister, states that is because the “US did not want too many (Jews) in New York!” Doors to Palestine are partially opened with only 1500 Jews allowed in per month. Despite the effort to narrow differences, diplomatic relations between London and Washington remain strained over Europe’s displaced Jewish persons and Jewish immigration to Palestine. Zionists remain dedicated to finding ways to control immigration to Palestine, recommitting themselves to establishing a Jewish state where that prerogative would be theirs.