RECORDING OF THE CONVERSATION OF THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE USSR A.Ya. Vyshinsky with a messenger LEBANON IN THE USSR H. TAKI ED-DINOM

Stalin, Soviets and Israeli Question

RECORDING OF THE CONVERSATION OF THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE USSR A.Ya. Vyshinsky with a messenger LEBANON IN THE USSR H. TAKI ED-DINOM

April 13, 1948

Secret

Today at 14 o'clock I received Taki ed-Din at his request. Taki ed-Din began by wanting to state the point of view of the Arabs on the question of Palestine in connection with the fact that the decision adopted by the UN General Assembly on the partition of Palestine was impracticable. Repeating his previous statements about the friendly feelings that the Arabs have for the Soviet Union (in particular, for the Soviet Union's support for Lebanon and Syria in the evacuation of foreign troops from the territory of these states), Taki ed-Din began to argue that the only expedient solution to the Palestinian question there will be the creation of a single Palestinian state in which both Jews and Arabs would enjoy equal rights. He, like other Arabs, believes that the Soviet Union supported the proposal to partition Palestine only because it saw no other way out of the situation in Palestine. He, Taki ed-Din, has always believed in the sympathy with which the Soviet Union treats the Arabs, and therefore he asks that the question of the future regime of Palestine be considered once again by the Soviet Government.

I replied that we understand the position of the Arab countries on the Palestinian issue. The partition decision in itself was not bad, because, thanks to it, it would be possible to eliminate the enmity between Arabs and Jews in Palestine. This plan turned out to be unfulfilled not because it is bad, but because the states that could have implemented this plan did not want to do it. I added that the USSR was accustomed to adhering to the adopted decisions and that we had a negative attitude towards the project of establishing a regime of custody over Palestine. Noticing that I am not specifically dealing with the Palestinian issue, I expressed at the same time confidence that our representative will be able to cope with his task.

The conversation lasted 30 minutes. Comrade Kostylev was present.

A. Vyshinsky

WUA RF. F. 0106. Op. 7.P.7, D. 4.L. 3-4.