NOTE FROM THE HEAD OF THE MIDDLE EASTERN DEPARTMENT USSR MFA I. N. BAKULINA TO DEPUTY MINISTER FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE USSR V.A. ZORIN

Stalin, Soviets and Israeli Question

NOTE FROM THE HEAD OF THE MIDDLE EASTERN DEPARTMENT USSR MFA I. N. BAKULINA TO DEPUTY MINISTER FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE USSR V.A. ZORIN

May 15, 1948 z.

Secret

Until 1914 in Palestine, the Russian government had one consulate general in Jerusalem (opened in 1858) and two consulates - in Haifa (opened in 1842) and in Jaffa (opened in 1820).

In 1914, in connection with the First World War, all three consulates were closed and the buildings were seized by the Turks.

In 1922, having received a mandate for Palestine, England captured the building of the consulate general in Jerusalem (only one of this building is the property of the USSR) and used it at its own discretion.

19 February 1947 Comrade Malt, in one of his letters, asked about the advisability of opening our consulate in Jerusalem *, however, in connection with the Palestinian problem, this issue did not receive further development, especially since permission to open this consulate had to be asked from the mandate holder.

Currently, after the abolition of the Palestinian mandate, pending the establishment of relations with Palestine, it would be expedient to send one of the members of our mission in Lebanon to Jerusalem as a representative of the mission to protect Soviet property in Jerusalem.

I. Bakulin

AVP RF, f. 0118, op. 2, p. 3, d. 11, l. 168