News Division Files
Memorandum of the Press and Radio News Conference, of the Secretary of State, February 7, 1947
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Palestine
Mr. Marshall said that the Department was being closely and fully informed on the progress of the very critical and delicate negotiations concerning Palestine which were going on in London and the difficulties which were involved. He said that we could only hope that the contending parties would get down to a specific settlement of their vexatious issues. The Secretary stated that we were deeply concerned over the actual situation in Palestine itself and he said that he felt there had been some confusion there as to the purposes of the British Government in its various actions where the implication assumed was that the action taken indicated strong, military tactics. Mr. Marshall felt that this was not the case, that the trouble had been largely the character of the publicity the matter had received. Secretary Marshall concluded that he had to be very careful in what he had to say concerning Palestine because of the delicate negotiations which were going on.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .