Palestine and U.S. (editorial), St. Paul Pioneer Press, Apr. 4, 1948.

By Constantine Brown

THE ZIONISTS and other ardent advocates of Palestine partition appear to be blind to the political reasons which prompted the administration to withdraw its support for the immediate creation of a Jewish state. Some frustrated spokesmen for partition-at-any-price lay the blame publicly on oil interests which, they say, have prevailed over humanitarian interests in those administration quarters which decided at the eleventh hour to reverse themselves. Others blame certain officials of the State and Defense departments whom they accuse of anti-Semitism.

The truth-and the most prominent American Zionist leaders ought to be aware of it-is that the tense situation created by the USSR in the world has become so threatening that any attempt to enforce the decision of partition at this time would jeopardize the security of the United States, of which the American Zionists and their non-Jewish friends are citizens.

It was in the spring of 1944 that the movement to coerce Britain to live up to the Balfour declaration took formal shape in the United States. Representative Bloom of New York, then chairman of the foreign affairs committee, prepared a resolution asking Congress to go on record with a demand that the British fulfill their obligations and a plea for the creation of a Jewish state.

Gen. Marshall, then Army chief of staff, went to see Bloom on President Roosevell’s instructions and pointed out that any practical enforcement of such a resolution would call for at least four and possibly six American divisions in Palestine. Under then-existing conditions, the American Army could not spare such a force without endangering our chance of victory against the Axis.

FOR SOME TIME we all lived under the delusion that the United Nations would guarantee the world from another large-scale conflagration. The skeptics were denounced as birds of ill omen and jingoists who did not want peace. Even the fact that the Russians were preventing the formation of a United Nations force to implement the decisions of that body was overlooked.

Until a few weeks ago, the political leaders of this country refused to believe that Russia’s intentions were aggressive and that the Kremlin had set a pattern for the conquest of Europe and China which would place the United States in the position of having to decide between fighting for its existence against heavy odds or accepting the Russian dictates.

After VJ-day we went into an orgy of disarmament. The 64 divisions which formed our ground forces were reduced in something like eight divisions, strewn over the entire world. The Air Force was reduced to a sad minimum, with only 1,800 first-class planes, and two-thirds of the Navy was placed in moth balls.

From all over the world, from China, from France, and from Scandinavia we hear appeals for eventual military help. We have pledged ourselves to defend the sovereignty of Turkey, Greece and Italy, because they are considered strategically vital areas in the event Russia decides on an early showdown with this country. Unlike the situation in World War II, there are no buffers of any importance between us and our potential enemy. This means that we will not have the same respite to organize our forces as in the past.

PERHAPS OUR political leaders can be accused of shortsightedness. But that is water over the dam. They pledged themselves to partition of Palestine and the creation of a Judaic state, when they should have known Russia’s intentions and should have recognized that we could not spare even a corporal’s guard to fulfill our promises.

The oil of Saudi Arabia-which the Zionists and their friends have described as a gigantic speculation intended to fill the pockets of the Standard Oil stockholders-is in fact important not to those persons but to the security of the United States itself.

The air strips of Saudi Arabia will be of enormous importance if war comes. Airplanes can be operated only if we have almost inexhaustible oil and gasoline supplies. These the Arabian oil fields can provide. Without them we would have to send oil and gasoline by tanker across seas infested by enemy submarines.

If the USSR had decided to abide by the spirit and letter of the U. N. charter, instead of attempting to make that organization a sounding board for her expansionist aims, there is no question that the Palestine question would be regarded today in a different light.