July 21, 1948
Philip C. Jessup, the acting United States representative to the United Nations, writes a memorandum to U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall, detailing why the United States should oppose putting supervisory troops in Jerusalem and elsewhere in Israel/Palestine. The seven-point memo is sent in response to a request by the U.N. mediator in Israel, Count Folke Bernadotte, that U.S. Marines be temporarily stationed in Jerusalem to support an Israeli-Arab truce agreement signed July 18.
The memo argues that American troops should not be stationed in Jerusalem because:
1. American public opinion would be against sending troops to Jerusalem.
2. Public opposition would be reinforced by any injury or death sustained by U.S. troops.
3. Stationing troops would potentially further weaken Arab-U.S. relations.
4. Stationing troops would potentially strengthen Soviet propaganda against the U.S.
5. The U.S. is generally not interested in providing troops for U.N. missions and has made this clear.
6. The U.S. should oppose the U.N.’s insistence that showing force is necessary to impress both Arabs and Jews.
7. The request did not go through the proper channels, and rejecting it would dissuade him from directly requesting favors from the U.S. in the future.
Jessup’s memo is accepted, and the United States continues a policy of supporting diplomacy in the region while maintaining politically strategic military distance. The question of monitors or observers to maintain security in a future Palestinian entity or state persists in discussions about the West Bank’s future.
