middle east chronology: march 1st to may 31st, 1947
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8/10/2019 Middle East Chronology: March 1st to May 31st, 1947
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Developments of the Quarter: Comment and Chronology March 1 - May 31, 1947Source: Middle East Journal, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Jul., 1947), pp. 307-319Published by: Middle East InstituteStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4321891.
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8/10/2019 Middle East Chronology: March 1st to May 31st, 1947
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V L O
P M N T S
O
T
QUARTER
COMMENT
N D
CHRONOLOGY
MARCH
I-MAY
3,
I1947
N
CONSEQUENCE
f
an
announcement
by theBritishGovernmenthatit would
not be
able to
continueits
support
of
the
GreekGovernment
eyond
the end of
March
I947, President
Truman
went
before
a
joint
session
of
Congress
on March I2 with
a
re-
quest that
financial
assistance
n
the
amount
of $400,000,000
be
extended
to
the
govern-
mentsof Greece
and
Turkey.
In
the course
of
his
address,
the
President
declared hat
"it
must be
the
policy of the
United
States
to
support
free
peoples
who are
resisting
at-
temptedsubjugationby armedminoritiesor
by
outside
pressures . .
. we must
assist
free
peoples to
work
out their own
destinies
in
their own
way
. .
.
our
help should
be
primarily
through
economic
and financial
aid which
is
essential to
economic
stability
and
orderlypolitical
processes."
Elaborated
by Acting
Secretaryof
State
Dean
Achesonin
his
testimonybefore
the
House and
Senate
Foreign
Relations
Com-
mittees on March
20
and
24,
and by the
Departmentof
State's
answers o
I I
ques-
tions
submitted by
members
of the
Senate,
these
principles
came to
be known
as the
"Truman
Doctrine."2
Althoughthe
Depart-
ment
of State
denied
that similar
requests
would be
supported
on behalf
of other
na-
'All
items
in
the
Chronology
are
drawn
from
the
New
York
Times
unless
otherwise
indicated.
2
A
complete
file of
the
documents
pertaining to
the
Greek-Turkish aid bill may be found in,"Aid to Greece
and
Turkey:
A
Collection
of
State
Papers,"
Department
of State
Bulletin,
Supplement,
XVI, No.
40g
A,
May
4,
'947.
tions,
it
was
made
abundantly
lear
that
the
United States wouldpursuethe underlying
principles
of
the
policy
by
whatever
means
appearedmost
effective
in
each
particular
case. Thus the
extension of
financial
as-
sistance
to
Greece
and
Turkey
was
essen-
tially
a
further
application
of
the
principles
already followed
n
the
Iranian
dispute be-
fore the
Security
Council n
1946.
By
the
formulation
f
these
principles n a
manner
concrete
enough to
be
termed
a
"doctrine,"
and
by
their
application
o
Iran,
Turkey,andGreece, he UnitedStates took
the first
steps toward
evolving
an
over-all
policy
in the
Middle
East.
Its
emphasis
was
still
largely
negative
from
the
point
of view
of
the
Middle
Eastern
states
themselves,
or
it
was
centered
upon
the
exclusion of
dis-
ruptive
Russian
communist
nfluence
from
those
states
bordering
Soviet-controlled
areas.The
doctrine's
more
positive
corollary,
that
is, the
promotion
of
political
and eco-
nomicstabilityin theMiddleEast itself,was
explicit
in
President
Truman's
enunciation
of the
policy but
its
working
out
necessarily
would be
a
matter
of
slow
and
long
develop-
ment.
Owing o
the
fact
that,
although
applied
n
the
Middle
East, it
was
not
primarily
di-
rected
toward
the
Middle
East, the
Truman
Doctrine
arousedno
great
response
among
the Arab
nations.
Attention
there
was
cur-
rently
focused
on
relations
with
those
Euro-
peanpowers,notablyGreat
Britain,
already
established n
the
area.
However,
he
evident
earnestness
of
American
opposition
to
com-
307
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308
THE MIDDLE
EAST
JOURNAL
munism
demonstrated
he determination
f-
the United
States to
fulfill ts
role
as a
major
power,
andto that extent
boredue
weight
in
America's
relations
with
the Middle
East.
Aden
CHRONOLOGY
'947
Apr.
15:
Peter
Davey,
a
political
officerof
the
Aden
WesternProtectorate,
was
murderedby
tribesmen
5
miles
east of
Dhala. He was killed
while
tryingto arrest
he
Sheikh
of
the Ahmedi
section
in the
Amir
State,
Muhammad
Ibn
Awas, who was also killed. (London Times,
Apr.
I9, I947,
page 3.)
Afghanistan
CHRONOLOGY
'947
Apr.
i3:
The
USSR
and
Afghanistan
igned
an
agreementon wirelesscommunications.Lon-
don
Times,
Apr.
2I, 1947, page
4.)
Apr.
26:
An
Afghan
group,
headed-by
Gen.
Abdul
KayumKhan,
met
a
Soviet group
n
Tashkent,
USSR, to
discuss
he demarcation
f
the
frontier
between
he
Soviet Union and
Afghanistan.
Arab
League
CHRONOLOGY
'947
Mar.
17:
The
seventh
general
ession
of
the
Arab
League
Councilheld its opening
meeting
in
Cairo.
Mar.
23:
The
Councilof the
Arab
Leaguepassed
a
resolution iving
support
o
Egypt's
demands
for
independence
nd its desire
to submit
its
case
to
UN.
Apr.
I4:
The
Syrian
and Lebanese
Governments
requested
a
meeting
of
the
political
committee
of
the
Arab
League
at
Damascus
for further
study of the Palestine case before the UN
meeting.
Apr.
17:
The
political
committee
of the Arab
League,
meeting
in
Damascus, agreed
to de-
mand
the end of Britain's
mnandatever Pales-
tine
at the
UN
meeting.
Egypt
The spring
months
saw
an
ebbing
of the
possibility
of
compromise
between
Egypt
and Great Britain over the questions of
evacuation
of British
troops
rom
Egypt
and
the future
status
of
the
Sudan.
The
resigna-
tion in
March
of
Sir HubertHuddlestonand
the
appointment
of Sir Robert Howe as
Governor-General
f the Sudan indicated
a
renewedattempt by
the British to remove
all causes of
irritation between themselves
and
the
Egyptians,
but
the door
to further
treaty
negotiationsappeared
o be
definitely
closed
by
the
repeated pronouncements
f
Prime
Minister
Nuqrashi
Pasha
that
Egypt
wouldsubmit
the
controversy
o
the
Security
Councilof
UN.
The
completion
f
the
British
evacuation
of
Cairo, Alexandria,
and the
Delta did little
to
appease
the
Egyptians
or
quellthe
fervent
outbreaks
f
nationalist en-
timent
in
denouncing
the
1936 Treaty
of
Alliance.
In
the
preparation
and
presentation
of
their
case
before
the
Security Council, the
Egyptianswereconfrontedwith threeprob-
lems: the
establishment
of
national
agree-
ment on the method
of
presenting
he
case;
the
securing
f Arab
League
upport;and
the
building
up
of
world
sympathy.
As
the
quarterended
and the time
approached
or
Egypt
to
present
ts
case,
the
Arab
League
had
expressed
ts
willingness
o
offer upport,
but such
national
agreement
s
was
achieved
was based
on
expediency atherthan
on
any
meetingof minds,and the extent of world-
wide
sympathy
remained
a
matter of doubt
and
speculation.
CHRONOLOGY
1947
Mar.
3:
Prime
Minister
NuqrashiPasha
an-
nounced
he
decision f
the
EgyptianGovern-
ment to
appeal
he
issuesof Egyptian over-
eignty
over
the
Sudan
and evacuation
f
British
roops
rom
Egypt
o the UN Security
Council.For ext,seepage320.)
Initial
Anglo-Egyptian
alks on sterling
balanceswere
concluded
without inal agree-
ment.
London imes,Mar.
4,
I947, page
4.)
Mar.
I:
PrimeMinister uqrashi asha old he
Egyptian
enatehe
intendedo appeal o the
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DEVELOPMENTS
OF
THE
QUARTER
309
Security Council
to
cancel
the
I936
Anglo-
Egyptian
Treaty
and
to
force
Britain o
remove
hertroops
rom
Egypt
and
the
Sudan.
British
Prime
MinisterAttlee
replied n the
Houseof
Commonso
NuqrashiPasha's
peech
on the causes of the breakdownof Anglo-
Egyptian
negotiations. For
text,
see page
320.)
Mar.
i4: Prime
MinisterNuqrashi
Pasha
an-
nounced here
wouldbe
no
resumption f talks
between
Egypt and
Great Britain.
Mar. 16: Sir
Robert
Howe,
Assistant Under-
Secretary
of the
British
Foreign
Office,
was
approvedby the
EgyptianCabinet or the
post
of
Governor-General f the
Sudan
replacing
SirHubert
Huddleston.
Mar. i8: An
unoccupied lassroom
f the
British
Institutewas
damagedby
a
small bomb.
Mar. 29:
British evacuationof Cairowas com-
pleted two
days
ahead
of
schedule
with
the
removal
of
the last
troops from Kasr
al-Nil
barracks.
Mar.
30:
The
British
Supply
Mission
in
Cairo,
formed
n October
I945
to
take over the
func-
tions
of the
Middle
East
Supply
Center, was
closed.
(London
Times,
Mar.3I, I947,
page
5.)
Mar.
31:
Egypt celebrated the
evacuation of
British
troops; the
Egyptian
flag was raised
over the
Kasr al-Nil
barracks.
Apr.
3: By a unanimous ote, theEgyptianmem-
bers
of
the
Anglo-Egyptian
Union
(formed
n
I937
to
promote riendly
relations
between
he
two
countries)voted
to
disband
the
organiza-
tion,
the British members
having
previous
to
this
action
withdrawn
rom
the
meeting.
Apr. 7-12:
The
36th
Conference
of
the
Inter-
Parliamentary
Union
held
meetings in Cairo
with
24 nations
represented.
Apr. 13:
Sabri
Abu
Alam
Pasha,
Secretary-
General
of
the Wafd
Party, died.
Apr.
19: The
third
Congress
f
the EgyptianSo-
ciety
of
InternationalLaw
convened
n
Alexan-
dria.
(7ournal
d'Egypte,
Apr.
20,
2I, 23, I947.)
Apr.
20:
Gen. Ibrahim
Pasha
Atalla,
Chief
of
Staff
of
the
Egyptian
army,
arrived
n
the U. S.
to tour
military nstallations.
Some
300
Britishsoldiers
on
their
way
to
the
United
Kingdom
rom
the
Sudan were
turned
back at the
Egyptian
frontier
and forced to
embarkat Port
Sudan
nstead.
Apr.
24: Lieut. Gen.
Sir Alan
Cunningham,
Brit-
ish
High Commissioner
or
Palestine,
visited
BritishMiddleEast MilitaryHeadquarters t
Fayid
in
the Suez
CanalZone to
confer
with
Gen. Sir
Miles
Dempsey,
British
Commander
in Chief
n
the
Middle
East.
May
j:
Prime
Minister
NuqrashiPasha n
a
radio
speechreproved
his
people
for
the recent
inci-
dents
directed
against oreignvisitors.
May 6:
Four
personswere
killed and
I2
injured
when a time
bomb
exploded in
the Metro
cinema
n
Cairo.
May 7:
Sir Robert
Howearrivedn Khartoum o
assume his duties as Governor-Generalf the
Sudan.
(London
Times,
May 8, I947, page
3.)
May 9:
An
Egyptian
Governmentequest or an
$88,ooo,ooooan from
he U. S. was
rejected
on
the
grounds hat
legalauthority ora
long-term
stabilization
reditwas
lacking.
May so:
The U. S.
light
cruiserDayton,
the de-
stroyersCompton nd
Gainard,
nd the
aircraft
carrier
Leyte
arrived
n
the
harbor
t
Alexandria
for
a
stay of
severaldays.
Abd
al-Salam
Fahmi Jumah Pasha
was ap-
pointed
Secretary-General
f the Wafd
Party.
May
I2:
The
Italo-Egyptian
greement oncluded
in
Paris September 946 was
approved
by
the
Constituent
Assembly in Rome.
Under the
agreementtaly is to
pay
reparations
o
Egypt
of 4,500,000
pounds.
(London
Times,May I3,
I
947,
page 3.)
May
I6:
British
Foreign Minister
Bevin,
in
a
speech
on
foreign
policy,
stated
that
Britain
would
make "no
attempt to
appease
the
Egyptian
Government
at
the
expense
of the
Sudanese
people." For
text,
see
page
32I.)
May
I8:
PrimeMinisterNuqrashiPasha,reply-
ing
to
British
Foreign
Minister
Bevin's
speech
of
May i6, called
for
the
immediateand
com-
plete withdrawal
f all
British
roops,
he
unity
of
the Nile
Valley, and
the termination f the
I936
Treaty of
Alliance. (For
text, see page
322.)
lndia
The
major political
developments
in
India
came
in
reaction to
the
British
Government's
announcement
n
February20, 1947,
of its
intention to
"take
the
necessary steps
to ef-
fect the
transference of
power
into
responsi-
ble
Indian hands
by
a
date
not
later than
June, I948."
Viscount
Mountbatten,
after
taking
the
oath
of office
as
the
new
Viceroy
on March
24,
at
once set
himself to the task
of ascertaining the degree of flexibility in the
apparent
intransigence
of
the Moslem and
Hindu
leaders.
By
the
middle of
May
he was
ready
with his
suggestions,
and was
called to
London
for
the
drafting
of
compromise
pro-
posals to be
presented to
the Indian
leaders
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3IO
THE MIDDLE
EAST
JOURNAL
on
June 2. The
compromise
involved
the
recognition of a
limited Pakistan
set
up
on
the
basis
of a
partition
of
the
Punjab
and
Bengal. The British
Government
looked
upon
the proposal
as
second
choice to
the
plan for
a
unified India
propounded
by
the
Cabinet
Mission in the
spring
of
I946,
but
permissible
if
it served
to effect the
transfer
of power
into
"responsible
Indian
hands."
There
were indications that the
Working
Committee
of the
Congress
Party
would be
willing to
accept this
much
of
a concession
to
the
Moslem
League.
Gandhi,
however,
re-
mained
strongly
opposed
to
any
form
of
par-
tition,
even
expressing the
opinion
that it
would be preferable for India to remain in
dominion status
under the
1946
Cabinet
Mission
proposal.
Those
Congress
Party
leaders,
notably
Pandit Nehru
and Sardar
Patel, who
were
willing
to
modify
their
in-
sistence on a
unified
India
were
possibly
swayed
by
the
continued
violence
of
com-
munal
riots, which in the
Punjab got
com-
pletely out
of
hand.
They
possibly feared
that
a
prolongation
of
such
disturbances
might
persuade the British Government to post-
pone
its
announced
date
of
withdrawal.
There may
also have
been the
expectation
that
a
Pakistan
set
up
in
such
restricted
form
could not
survive as
an
independent
entity,
and that
by compromise at this
time
unity
eventually
might be
attained.
Attempts
under the
guidance
of
Mo-
hammed
Ali
Jinnah
to
establish
immediate
Moslem rule in
the
predominantly
Moslem
areas
of the
Punjab and
the
North-West
Frontier province ended in failure. The Mos-
lem
League's civil
disobedience
campaign in
the
Punjab succeeded
in
bringing
about the
resignation of
the
coalition
ministry
on
March
2, but
the
League's
subsequent at-
tempt
to
form
a
ministry
was blocked
by the
aroused
opposition
of
the large
Hindu
and
Sikh
minorities,
and by its
inability
to
unite
the
whole
Moslem
population
behind
it. The
violence of
the
resultant
rioting
forced the
governor of the Punjab to proclaim Gover-
nor's
Rule
in
the
province.
The
experience
did
not
augur
well for
the
League's
ability
to
control the
Punjab
should
it be
set up in
its
entirety
as part
of
Pakistan.
Nevertheless
Jinnah,
at
least
in
his public
utterances,
still
steadfastly
refusedto admit
of
any proposal
to partition
the
province.
CHRONOLOGY
1947
Mar.
I:
MohandasK. Gandhiannounced e
would
continue
is
walking
our for
peace
n
Bihar
Province.
Mar.
:
Representatives
f
the
Indian
rincesnd
theConstituent
ssemblygreed
hat
delegates
from the
PrincelyStates
to
the
Assembly
wouldbe
elected ither
by legislatures
r
elec-
toral
olleges.
In the
Punjabhecoalition
abinet
Congress
andUnionist
arties) f
SirKhizar
Hiyat
Khan
Ti
wana
resigned.
Mar.4: In thePunjab, he demandoran all-
Moslem
League
cabinet
lead
to
rioting
in
Lahore,
ausing 0
deaths
and
47 injured he
first
day.
Sir
Khizar
HiyatKhanTiwana
esigned
s
PrimeMinister f
Punjab
Province.
Mar.5: The Governorookover
he
administra-
tion of
Punjab
Province,
n
accordance ith
Section93 of the
Government
f India
Act,
1935.
Mar.
6: The
BritishHouse
f
Commons
pproved
the
Government'secision
o
withdrawrom
Indianotlater hanJune
948.
Mar.
7: Rioting
n
the
Punjab pread
nto
the
northern
arts
of
the
province.
Mar.
8:
The
Congressarty
nvited
he Moslem
League
o
appoint
epresentatives
o
meet
with
Congresspokesmeno
prepare
orwithdrawal
of
the
British
rom
ndia.
Mar.
9:
Airborne
roops
rrived
n
Punjab
o
try
to
quell
he
rioting.
Mar.
II:
The
Reserve
Bank
of
India
issued
a
notification
nstructing
uthorizedealersn
foreignxchangenIndianottoopenettersof
credit
expiring
ater than
July IS,
1947,
or
to
extend
xisting
redits
beyond
hat
date.This
action
was
ollowed
y
an
order
by
theImport
Trade
Controller
dvancinghe
expiration
ate
from
Dec.31,
1947,
to
June30,
I947, on
all
import
icenses
xcept
those
covering
apital
goods,
apital oods or
postwar
econstruction,
and
heavyelectrical
lants. Foreign
ommerce
Weekly,
Apr.
26, 1947,
page
I9.)
Mar.
72:
Rioting
broke ut in
North-West
ron-
tierProvince,where he MoslemLeaguehadbeen
conducting
civil
disobedience
ampaign
against he
Congress
Ministry.
London imes,
Mar.
13,
I947, page3.)
Mar.
4:
Pandit
Nehru
oured he
riot-torn
reas
in
Punjab.
Mar.
15:Punjab
Government
iguresisted
,036
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6/14
DEVELOPMENTS
OF
THE QUARTER
3II
killed
and
II
10 seriouslynjured n the
Punjab
riots.
The
Government of India
cancellation
of
Open
General icense
VIII
of
Sept. I2, I946,
becameeffective,
meaning hat thereafter
any-
oneimporting ny of the 92 items istedtherein
must
obtain
an
individual
mport
icense.
(For-
eign
Commerce
Weekly,Apr.
5, 1947, page 7.)
Mar. 17:
Mohammed
Ali
Jinnahurgedmembers
of the Moslem
League
n
Punjab
to
co-operate
fully in the
efforts to
restore order in that
province.
Mar.
i8:
Afridi
tribesmen emporarily revented
movement
hrough
Khyber
Pass
as an
expres-
sion of
theirgrievanceagainst he
government's
decrease
n
their
food
subsidies.
Mar. *i:
CongressPartymembers f theauxiliary
"Redshirts"went
into Peshawar o
attempt
to
pacifyHindu,
Moslem,
and
Sikh
elements.
Mar. 21:
ViscountWavell,
retiring
Viceroy
of
India, delivered his
farewell
message
to
the
people
of
India.
Mar.
23:
The
Asian
Relations
Conference, pon-
sored
by
the
Indian Council
of
World
Affairs,
began
its
meetings
n
Delhi.
Renewed
rioting
brokeout in
Bombay.
Mar.
24:
Viscount
Mountbatten took office as
Governor-General
nd Viceroy of
India, suc-
ceedingViscountWavell.
Mar.
26:
Communal
ioting
brokeout in Calcutta.
Mar.
30:
Calcutta
riots
continued;
Hindu-
Moslemriots in Bombay
caused
40
deaths the
first
day.
Mar.
31:
Mohandas
K.
Gandhi
discussed
the
Indian situation with
Viceroy Mountbatten,
beginning
a
seriesof
conferences
between the
two
men.
Apr.
I:
The Government f
India
inaugurated
new
export policy under which25
percent of
the total quotaof certaincontrolled ommodi-
ties wouldbe
reserved orthose
entering xport
business
or
the first time,
and those also who
in
the
past had exported
onlycommoditiesnot
subject
o
control.
ForeignCommerce
Weekly,
May 24, I947,
page
IS.)
Apr.
3-4:
Hindu-Moslem
ioting spread
nto the
area around
Gurgaon n southeastern
Punjab.
Apr.
i:
Acting
Secretary
of
State Dean Acheson
announced hat
Henry F. Gradyhad
been ap-
pointedfirst U.
S.
Ambassador o India.
Apr.
5:
The Viceroy
begana seriesof
conferences
withMohammedAliJinnah.
Apr. 8:
The
Premier
of
Hyderabad
announced
that
his
state
hoped
to
enter
an
alliancewith
the future central
governmentof
independent
India.
The
LegislativeAssembly repealed
sections
4o
and
41
of
the Reserve
Bank of India
Act
which
made
t compulsory
or
the Reserve
Bank
to buy
and sell
sterling
for rupees
at
certain
fixed
rates
without
limit
of
amount.
This
De-
linking Bill
thus
severed
the
legal tie
with
sterlingand made the rupee an independent
currency.
Though
the
Reserve
Bank was
thus
empowered
to
purchase
any
currencies,
it
wouldcontinue
to
deal only
in
sterling
until
clarification
of
India's
exchange
position
was
determined
ollowing
settlement
of the
coun-
try's sterling
balances.
Under
new
amendments
the
Central
Government
will
fix exchange
ates
instead of
the Reserve
Bank.
(Foreign
Com-
merce
Weekly,
May
IO, I947,
page
i6.)
ASpr.
2: The two weeks
of
intermittent
confer-
ences held by Gandhiand the Viceroy
were
ended.
Apr.
15:
Jinnah
andGandhi
ssued
a
joint
declara-
tion asking
all
Indians
to refrain
rom
all acts
of
violence
and disorder.
Apr.
i5-r6:
The Viceroy
conferred
with the
pro-
vincialgovernors.
Apr.
18:
The
Viceroy
met
with
Pandit
Nehru,
Sir Olaf
Caroe, the
Governor
of the
North-
West Frontier
Province,
and
Dr.
Khan
Sahib,
its
Prime Minister.
One result
of the
meeting
was
the granting
of an
amnesty
to
all political
prisonersailed by the province'sministry.
Apr.
1g:
Pandit
Nehrutold
the
annual
session
of
the All-IndiaStates
People's
Conference
meet-
ing
in
Gwalior
hat
any
Indianstate
not enter-
ing
the
Constituent
Assembly
would
be treated
as
a
hostile
state.
Apr.
2 :
It was
announced
hat casualties
n
Cal-
cutta's riots
to date
were
85
killed
and
730
injured.
Apr.
2':
The
Earl of
Listowel
replaced
Lord
Pethick-Lawrence
s
Secretary
of
State
for
IndiaandBurma n the BritishCabinet.
Apr.
24-25:
Communal
rioting
was renewed
in
New
Delhi
and spread
o Lahore.
Apr.25:
In Calcutta
an
estimated
o
to
14 were
killed and
go
injured
in
the worst
Hindu-
Moslem
outbreak
or
a month.
Apr.
26: Nehru and
Jinnah
cabled
the
Arab
League
assuring
it
of their
support
of inde-
pendence
or
Palestine.
Apr.
28:
The
third session
of
the
Constituent
As-
sembly opened
in New
Delhi.
In
his
opening
speech
Nehru
said
that
the
Congress
Party
might have to accept the politicaldivisionof
India
after the
British
eft
in I948.
The
Viceroy
visited
the
North-West
Frontier
Province.
Apr.
29:
The Constituent
Assembly
adopted
the
provision
that "untouchability
n
any form
is
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THE MIDDLE EAST
JOURNAL
abolishedand
the
imposition
of
any disability
on
that accountshall be
an
offense," or
inclu-
sion in the proposed ndian
constitution.
May
I:
The
Congress Party's
Working
Com-
mittee
convened
n New
Delhi.
The ConstituentAssembly adoptedclauses
forafundamental
ightscharter
n
the
proposed
Indianconstitution.
May
3:
The Indian
Labor
Service
Organization
severed relationswith the All-India
National
Trade
Union
Congress
on
grounds
that the
latter was dominated
by communists.
May
4:
Gandhiagainconferredwith the
Viceroy.
Hindu priests
and ascetics demonstrated
before Nehru's
home in
protest against
the
move by the
ConstituentAssembly
on
Apr. 29
favoring he abolition
of
untouchability.
May 6: Jinnah and
Gandhi conferred
(for
the
first time since
Sept.
I944)
and disagreedon
the
subject
of
division
of
India into
Pakistan
and Hindustan.
May
7:
Sir
Evan
Jenkins,
Governor
of
Punjab,
orderedMoslems
of the Rawalpindidistrictto
pay
a
collectivefine of Rs.
3,ooo,ooo
for the
riots that occurredhere.
Jinnahsaid that he couldnot
adviseMoslem
League leaders in the
North-West Frontier
Province to call off their civil
disobedience
movement.
May
Io:
Freshriots brokeout
in
Punjab
Province.
May
r4:
Communal
riots
broke
out
in
Lahore,
with
I2
killed
during the day.
May
x6:
Lo
Chia Luenpresented o
the Viceroy
his credentialsas
first ChineseAmbassador o
India.
The
Government f Indiaannounced revi-
sion
of
its
import
trade-control
policy
which
wouldbecome
ffective uly
,
I947, andwas
for
the purposeof making
maximumuse of
India's foreign exchangeresourcesand of re-
stricting mports
of
certain
consumer
oods
and
nonessentials.
ForeignCommerce
Weekly,May
31,
1947,
page 5S.)
May 17:
British
troops were sent to quell the
riots
n
Lahore.
May
S8:
The Viceroy
eft India
for
conferences
n
London
on
the new Britishplan for
India.
May I8-I9:
Thousands of people
left Lahore
because
of theriots
there.
May
19:
It was reported that
Sir
Mohammed
HamidullahKhan,
the Nawab of
Bhopal, had
resigned as Chancellor of the Chamber of
Princes.
May
20:
An
improvement
of
the situation
in
Lahore
wasreported.
May
2 :
Jinnahgave an interview n
New Delhi
in
which
he
revealed
his
stand:
demand
for a
corridor through
Hindustan connecting
the
two parts
of
Pakistan
n northwestandnorth-
east India;
opposition
to
partition
of
Bengal
and Punjab;hope
for
an
alliance
of
friendship
and reciprocitybetween
Pakistan
and Hindu-
stan.
The Secretaryof State
for India announced
to theHouse
of
Lords
hat since
Nov. I
8, 1946,
4,014 persons
had beenkilled and
3,3I6 injured
in
the disturbances
n India.
May 23: The
Viceroy'splan
for transferof power
to Indian hands
was
approved
by the British
Cabinet.
May
26:
The Indian
Defense
Ministry
announced
that
io,ooo
additional roops
would be
sent
to
Punjab to quiet disorders
here.
May
30:
The
Viceroy,
Viscount
Mountbatten,
returned o IndiafromLondon.
Fifty
villages were reported
to have been
destroyed
in the
Gurgaon
area of
southeast
Punjab.
Iran
CHRONOLOGY
1947
Mar.
23:
Renewal
of
fighting
between Barzani
Kurdsand
the
Iranian
armywas reported.
Mar.
3I:
The
Iranian Army Chief of Staff
an-
nounced
the
execution
of Qazi Mohammad,
Kurdish
eader,his brotherSadr Qazi,
and his
cousin
Seif
Qazi.
Apr. so:
An
Iranian
militarymissionunderGen.
Hedayat,
Under-Secretary
o the Minister of
War,
arrived
n the U. S.
to discussthe
buying
of
arms
and
ammunition.
Apr.
ig:
Abdul Hussein Sadri was appointed
Governor-Generalf Fars Province, ucceeding
Emad
Fatemi.
May
3:
U.
S.
Ambassador
o
Iran
George
Allen
stated
that
the
U. S.
was
considering
he sale of
$2s,000,000
worth of
army surplusequipment
to
Iran.
May
8:
Maj. Sadeq Ansari,
Dadar
Taqizadeh,
and
Haritoun
Harapetian,
he
first
two
being
members
of
the
AzerbaijaniParliamentunder
the
Pishevari
government,
were
executed
ac-
cording
o
reports
romTabriz.
May iS: Iransent a note to Moscowdemanding
repayment
of
3
million
pounds
in
gold
and
2
million
pounds
n
paper
currency or debts in-
curred by Russia during the occupation
of
northern
ran.
May
2i:
FeridounIbrahimi,attorney-general
n
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DEVELOPMENTS
OF
THE QUARTER 3I3
the
Azerbaijangovernment
of Pishevari,
was
hanged
n Tabriz.
May 30: Brig. Gen.
H.
Norman
Schwartzkopf,
American
adviser
to the Iraniangendarmerie,
arrived n the U. S.
fromIran to
obtainsupplies
forIran'sarmyand gendarmerie.
Iraq
CHRONOLOGY
'947
Mar.
so:
Election results
were
announced;
he
Iraqi
Governmentparty
received a
majority
of the votes.
Twenty-two deputies
had been
added
o the members
f
Parliament,
making
a
totalof
138.
Mar.
17: The new Parliament
held its opening
session.
Salih
Jabir
was
elected
president
f
the
Senate
and Abd al-Azizwas
electedto head
the
lower
house.
Mar.
3o:
New cabinet was
formed
with Salih
Jabir (Shiah) as
Prime Minister
and
Minister
of the
Interior.
Apr.
4:
Nuri
al-SaidPasha was
elected
president
of the Senate.
Apr.
8:
The chief
rabbiof
Iraq,
Sasson Khaduri,
declared hat IraqiJewswereopposed o Zion-
ism.
Apr. so:
Nuri
al-Said
Pasha, president
of
the
Iraqi
Senate,
arrived
n
Amman,Transjordan,
to
begin
discussions
of
steps
to
bring
about
a
unionof the
two
countries
n
regard
o
finances,
foreign
affairs,and defense.
Apr.
ii:
Ali
Jawdat
presented
o President
Tru-
man
his letters
of
credenceas
first Iraqi
Am-
bassador
o
the
U.
S.
Apr.
i6:
It
was
officially
announced
that all
British land forceswould be withdrawn rom
Iraq by
autumn
with
the
exception
of
two
small
RAF
detachments
at
Habbaniyahand
Shaibah
airports.
Lebanon
CHRONOLOGY
'947
Mar.
3:
Antun Saadi returned
from
Brazil to
Beirut to head the People's Party. (Oriente
Moderno, an.-Mar.,
1947, page37.)
Mar.
4:
Fourteenpersons
were
killed in Tripoli
in
a
political
demonstration
ollowing
the ar-
rival of Fawzi
al-Qawuqji
romCairo.
Mar.
17:
CharlesHilu presented
his-credentials
as
first
Lebanese
Minister
to the Vatican.
(Oriente
Moderno,
an.-Mar.,947,
page
37.)
A pr. 8:
President
Bishara
al-Khuri
dissolved
Parliament
and set new
elections
for
May
25
andJune
.
May
25:
Parliamentarylectionswereheld.
May 28:
The
results
of the
electionsshowedthat
49 seats
in the Chamber f
Deputies
had
been
filled
by
the
Government's
upporters,
ix more
to
be decided
on
June
i.
Kamal
Jumblat,Minister
of
National Econ-
omy and
Agriculture,
esigned
n
protestagainst
the
conduct
of
the elections.
May29:
Lebanese
roopsbarred
he
entrance nto
Beirut of
Druze
tribesmen
who
intended
to
stage
a
peaceful
demonstration
rotesting
the
election
results.
Premier
Riad
al-Sulh
banned
any further imilarmeetings.
May
3z:
Tripoli
workers truck
in
answer
to an
appeal for
a
demonstration
rom
the
newly
formed
opposition
party "National
Libera-
tion."
North
Africa
Realizing
hat time
was
running
hort, the
French Government
continued its
attempt to
bring
about
more
liberal
and stable
relation-
ships
with its
territories in
North
Africa.
It
had to
move
forward
in
the face of
openly ex-
pressed
opposition on
the
part of
the nation-
alist
leaders,
and
under the
handicap
of
re-
actionary
sentiments
among
the local
French
population
in
North
Africa.
Animosity
to-
ward
the
French
administration
was intensi-
fied by
the
April
riot
in
Casablanca
in
which
Senegalese troops killed Moroccan civilians.
France's
apprehension
was
apparent in
the
numerous tours of
inspection
made by
promi-
nent
government
officials,
principally Minis-
ter of
Interior
Edouard
Depreux's tour of
Algeria and
General
Leclerc's
visit to Mor-
rocco;
in
the
appointment of
an
inspector
of
land, sea, and
air
forces
in
North
Africa;
in
the
dismissal of Eirik
Labonne,
Resident-
General
in
Morocco,
for
his
failure
to
keep
the Sultan of Morocco in line, and his re-
placement by
General
Juin, a
career
army
officer,
instead
of
the
usual
peacetime ap-
pointment
of a
civilian; and
in
the
discussions
in
Parisof
French
Qolonial
olicyand
French
Union,
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3I4
THE MIDDLE
EAST
JOURNAL
In the meantime
the French
Government
worked
on measures
o thwartnationalist
de-
mands.
French
NationalAssemblycommit-
tees
were
considering
statute which would
define
the relationship
f
Algeria
to
France,
and which the Ministerof Interiorpromised
the Algerians
would incorporate
he
results
of the findings
he had made
on his tour
of
inspection.
Prospective
reforms
also
en-
visaged
a NationalAssembly
for Algeria,
a
greater
degreeof
local self-government,
n
extension
of
co-operative
ocieties,
and
more
schools
for nativechildren.
As a
precaution-
ary move,
however,
the French
in
April
made
a modestdisplay
of
military
trength
n
eastern Algeria, where Messali Haj, Arab
nationalist eader,
had been
makingspeeches
the
month
before.
Reformmeasures
alongsimilar
ines
were
under
consideration
or Morocco and
Tu-
nisia.
To
persuade
he
Sultan to
accept
the
reformsplanned
for
Moroccowas one
of
the
chief
responsibilities
f
the
newly appointed
Resident-General.
o convince he Tunisians
of the
good
faith of
France,press
censorship
was removed.On the other hand, urgently
needed
decisions
on colonial
policy
were de-
layed by
the
failure
of the coalition
govern-
ment
in
Paris
to
agree
on
basic
principles.
Until
these
were made
all measures were
likely
to be but
temporary
topgaps.
CHRONOLOGY
'947
Apr.
7:
In
a
riot
resulting
rom
a
street
brawl n
Casablanca,enegaleseroopsired n a crowd
of
Moroccan ivilians.Sixty-three ersons,
principally
Moroccans,
were killedand
II9
wounded.
Apr.
9: The
Sultan f
Morocco,
idiMuhammad
Ibn
Yusuf,
eft
Rabat
or
a
visit
to
Tangier.
Apr.
O: The
Sultan
f Morocco
poke
t
Tangier
along trongly
ationalistines.He praised
he
Arab League,
but
omitted
a
statement
of
loyalty
oward he FrenchProtectorate hich
had
been
n
the
prepared
ersion
f
his speech.
TheU. S. Army eleased
heCasablanca
ir-
field,husmarkinghecompletionftheevacu-
ation
of
FrenchMorocco.
Edouard epreux,
Minister
f
Interior
n the
FrenchCabinet,
eft France orAlgeria
o in-
vestigatehe
situation
here.
Apr.
r3:
TheSultan f
Moroccoounded ut
his
visit to Tangierwith a
speech
n which
he
made
friendly
reference to
the Arab
League
and
claimed
"full
rights"
for
Morocco.
(London
Times,Apr.
15, I947,
page
4.)
Apr. I4:
Arabs in Tangier
staged
anti-French
demonstrationso expresstheir sympathyfor
the Moroccanskilled in
Casablanca
n
Apr. 7.
Apr.
z6:
Abdal-RahmanAzzam
Pasha,
Secretary-
General
of the
Arab
League, was
reportedto
have
telegraphed he Sultan of
Morocco
prom-
ising full
supportof the
Sultan's
demands
for
independence.
London
Times,
Apr. I7,
I947,
page
4.)
Apr.
MS:
eanMons,
Resident-General
n
Tunisia,
waspresent
at
a
special
meetingof
government
andmilitary
experts
n
Paris to
study
the prob-
lems
of French Union
and French colonial
policy. Gen.
Alphonse-Pierre
uin,
Chief of
Staff
for National
Defense,
Lieut.
Gen.
Georges
Revers,armyChief
of
Staff,
were
also
present.
French
Air
MinisterAndr6
Maroselli
visited
the
airbase
at
Sidi
Ahmed
n
Tunis.
A4pr.
rg:
The French
Government
appointed
General
Jacques
PhilippeLeclerc,
hen
on
tour
of
inspection in
Morocco,to
be
inspector
of
land,
sea,
and
air
forces
n North
Africa.
Apr. 21:
The
fourth annual
congressof the Al-
gerianCommunist
Party
was concluded.
Apr.
26: Censorshipof the press was ended in
Tunisia.
May
8:
The Control
Commission f the
Tangier
International
Zonevoted to
suspend
he
French
languageweekly,
La
Voix du
Maroc,
for
six
months.
May 13: The
Communist
Party
in Morocco
n
a
telegram
o the Sultan
demanded
he termina-
tion
of the
French
Protectorate
and the inde-
pendence
of
Morocco.
May
I4:
The
French
Government
appointed
General Alphonse-PierreJuin as Resident-
General
of Morocco
in,
replacementof Eirik
Labonne,who
wasgiven
a
special
appointment
as
adviser
o
the
President
and
Prime
Minister
of
France
on
questions
egarding rench
Union.
(London
imes,May
i6, 1947,
page3.)
May
22:
The U. S.
Armyannounced
he
closing
of
the Mellaha
airfieldat
Tripoli.
May
28:
Gen.
Alphonse-Piere
Juin
took
up
his
duties
in
Rabat
as
Resident-General
f Mo-
rocco.
May
3r:
On
his way
from
R6union
sland
to
the
Riviera, where the French had grantedhim
permission
o
live,
Abd
al-Karim,
xiled
by
the
French or
his activities
n the Rif
war
of
I925,
left
his
ship
at
Port
Said
to
seek
sanctuary
n
Egypt.
The
French
Government
efused
o
allow an
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DEVELOPMENTS
OF THE QUARTER
3I5
Egyptian oodship
to enter he portof Tunis
on the grounds hat the alleged eliefmission
was"political"nnature.
Palestine
Great Britainformallyrequested he
Sec-
retary-General f
United Nations on April
2
"to
summon,
as
soon
as possible,
a
special
Sessionof the GeneralAssembly or the pur-
pose of constitutingand instructing Special
Committee o
prepare
or the consideration"
of the
Palestinequestion
at the next regular
sessionof the Assembly.A majorityof the
nations signifiedtheir
concurrencewith
the
British
proposalby
April 3, and the opening
of the specialsessionwas set for April28.
On
April
2I-22
the
five Arab membersof the
United
Nations
requested
hat
an
additional
item
regarding
"
the
termination
of the
mandate over Palestine
and the declaration
of its independence"
be included
on the
agenda,
but
the requestwas
turned
down
by
the Assembly.
The British
proposal
was
discussed,
fre-
quently
with
considerablepassion, during
fifteen plenary
meetings
of
the
Assembly
(April 28-May 6,
and
May
I47-I
),
and
twelve
interveningmeetings
of the
Political
and Security
Committee(May 7-I3).
The
JewishAgency
and
theArab
Higher
Commit-
tee, non-governmental
rganizations,
were
specifically iven permission
o
testify
before
the latter body.
The
Arab
states, supported
consistentlyby Afghanistan ndTurkeyand
frequentlyby
India and
Iran, presented
he
Palestine
Arab case
at
great length.
Their
position
was
challenged primarily by
the
delegates
of
Poland, Czechoslovakia,
and
South
Africa,
who
took
up
the
Zionistcause.
The
debate
boiled
itself down to two
main
issues:
the
composition
of the
proposed
n-
vestigative body,
and its termsof
reference.
As regards
he
first,
the
differences
mong
the Big Powers over the Palestineproblem
were
brought
nto
clear focus.Great
Britain,
with
the
backing
of the
United States
and
China, urged
that
the-inquiry ommittee
be
made up entirely
of "neutral"
members
and
that
the
Big
Five
should thereforebe ex-
cluded.
To
this
viewpoint
he
USSR
took
ex-
ception,
arguing
that
the five
permanent
members of the
Security
Council
"should,
along
with
all
otherMember
nations,
assume
responsibilitynot
only
for the
final solution
but for all preparatory teps leadingto it."
France
emained
ukewarm,
lthoughprofess-
ing
no
objections
o
Big
Five
participation.
The stand
of Great
Britain,
the
United
States, and
China
was
finally endorsed
by
the
Assembly,
which
resolved that
the
inquiry
committee
hould
consistof the
rep-
resentatives
of
Australia,
Canada,Czecho-
slovakia,
Guatemala,
India, Iran, Nether-
lands,
Peru,
Sweden,
Uruguay, and
Yugo-
slavia.
With
respect
o
the terms
of
reference,
he
Arab states
insisted that the
problem
of dis-
placed
persons should
not
be
linked with
that
of
Palestine,
that the
committee
hould
be instructed
o
examine
only conditions n
Palestine,
and
that the
committeeshould
concern
tself with the
grant
of
independence
as the most
appropriate solution.
These
views werenot shared
by
the
majority
of
the
delegates,as evidencedby the Assembly's
resolution.The
inquiry
committee was
en-
dowed
with "the Widest
powers
o
ascertain
and record
acts,
and to
investigate
all
ques-
tions
and issues relevant
to the
problemof
Palestine;
.
.
.
[to]
determine
ts own
pro-
cedure;
.
.
.
[to]
conduct
investigations
n
Palestine
and
wherever t
may deem
useful;
.
. .
[to] give
most careful
consideration
o
the
religious
nterests n
Palestine
of
Islam,
Judaism,
and
Christianity;
. .
[and to]
preparea report to the GeneralAssembly
not ater han
September,
I947.
.
The
Arab
delegates
reserved he
positionof
their
governments
egarding
he final
recom-
mendations
of
the
inquiry
committee.
The first
meeting
of
the
inquirycommit-
tee was
held
on
May
26,
when
t
was
disclosed
that
the
membersand
their staff
would
pro-
ceed by
plane
to
Palestine
early
in
June.
On
the
same
day,
Secretary-General
rygve
Lie
disqualified Jewishanda Moslemmember
of
the
Secretariat taff from
accompanying
the committee n order
o
preserve
ntact
the
latter's
"neutrality."
On
May
I4 the Soviet
delegatedeclared
before
the
Assembly
that if a
unitary
Arab-
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3I6 THE
MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL
Jewish
state
with
equal
rights
for both
peo-
ples
proved
unrealizable, t
would be neces-
sary
to
consider as
an
alternative
"the
division
of
Palestine
into
two
independent,
separate states-
one, Jewish, and one,
Arab."
Any
optimism
engendered
by this
statement with
respect
to
the
possibility
of
Big
Five
agreement n a final
solutionof the
Palestine
problem
was
temperedon
May 29
by
British
Foreign
Secretary
Ernest
Bevin,
when he
asserted that he
personally
would
not
be bound
by
any United
Nations de-
cision
regarding
a
final
settlement unless
it
was unanimous.
J.
C. HUREWITZ
New York'City
CHRONOLOGY
'947
Mar.
i:
British officers'club
in
Jerusalem
was
blown
up by
the
Irgun
Zvai
Leumi
(IZL).
Protestersto the
British seizure
on
Feb. 28
of
I,398
unauthorizedJewish
immigrants
on
board
the
Haim
Arlosoroff
et
fires and
caused
explosions
n
Haifa.
An attack
was
made on the
British
Army
campat Nathanya.
Mar.
2:
Statutory
martial law
was
imposed
on
certain
districts
n Tel
Aviv,Jerusalem,
nd
the
coastal
area 20
miles
north
of Tel
Aviv.
Mar.
3:
The
IZL
declared
"open
warfare"
n
Palestine;
ive
hand
grenades
were
thrown
nto
a
British
militaryoffice
n
Haifa.
Mar.5:
The
High
Court
n
Jerusalem
ejected he
application or
a
writ
of
habeas
corpus
filed
Feb.
28
on
behalf
of
the
unauthorized
mmi-
grants
of the Haim
Irlosoroff.
Mar. 6: British authoritiesannounced hat
25
"known
errorists"
ad
been
recently
arrested
within
martial-law
reas.
Mar.
9:
British
authorities eized he
AIbril,
ship
carrying
unauthorizedmmigrants
and spon-
sored
by
the
Hebrew
Committeeof
National
Liberation.
Mar.12: Morethan
8oo
unauthorized
mmigrants
were
captured in
southern
Palestine when
landing
rom
the
beached
hip,
Susanna.
Mar.
i3:
The
Palestine
Government
announced
that
78
persons,
allegedly
terrorists,had been
arrestedwiththe aidof theJewishcommunity.
Mar.
I4:
The
first
meeting of
the
emergency
session
of
the
Executiveof the
Jewish
Agency
for
Palestine
convened
n
Jerusalem.
Mar.
i6:
The
government
nnounced he offer
of
temporary mployment
n
the
Palestinepolice
forcefor Arabsdestitute becauseof drought
n
southernPalestine.
The Jewish
Agency office in Jerusalemwas
damagedby
terrorists'bombs.
British Army Naafi store near Hadera was
destroyedby terrorists.
Mar. 17: Statutory
martial aw imposedMar.
2
was ended.
Mar.
2.1:
The
emergency ession
of the
Executive
of the Jewish
Agencyended.
Mar.
24-28:
Lieut.
Generals
Sir Alan
Cunning-
ham, High Commissioner,
nd
G. H. A.
Mac-
Millan,militarycommandern Palestine,were
in
London or
consultations.
Mar. 26: The Privy
Council n Londonrejected
a
petition filed by Dov Gruner's
uncle
for
per-
mission to appealin his behalf. [Grunerwas
a
memberof the IZL sentenced o death by
a
Palestine
militarycourt.]
Mar. 3o: British
naval forces aided the listing
ship,
the
Moledet,
with
i,6oo
unauthorized
Jewish mmigrants board.
Mar.3i: Firesset by
the SternGroup
o Haifa oil
installations
of the Shell
Oil Co.
destroyed
tanks used for storing oil
for
domestic
use
in
Palestine and
caused damage estimated
at
$I000,000.
Apr.
2: Britain
formally requested
a
special
sessionof theUnitedNationsGeneralAssembly
on
Palestine.
Apr. 9: The
PalestineGovernment, y legislative
decree,assumed
powers
f
militarydictatorship.
Afpr.Ii:
A
Jew who
entered
the
precincts
of the
Haramal-Sharif n
Jerusalem
was
killed
by
a
Moslemmob.
A4pr.
3:
Members
of the United Nations
were
called to
an
extraordinary
session
of
the
General
Assembly, Apr. 28,
to
consider the
Palestine
ssue.
British forces took over the TheodorHerzl
(formerly
he
Guardian)
with about
2,700
un-
authorized
mmigrants
board.
Apr.
i6: Four
convicted
erroristswere
hanged
at
Acre prison: Dov
Gruner,
Dov
Rosenbaum,
Eliezer
Kashani,andMordecaiAlkachi.
Regulations
were
effected
which
abolished
the
right
of
appealagainst any judgmentor
sentence
of
anymilitary
court
or of
the General
Officer
Commanding
n
relation
to
any con-
viction by
a
military court. (London Times,
Apr. I 7, I 947, page 4.)
Apr.
i8:
Underground roups begana series of
attacks
on
British
forces in reprisal for the
hanging
f the
fourconvicted errorists,Apr.I6.
Apr. 21: Convicted
Jewish terrorists,Meir Fein-
stein
and
Moshe
Barazani,committedsuicide
in
prison.
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DEVELOPMENTS
OF THE
QUARTER 3I7
Apr. 22: A
train from Cairo
to Haifa was blown
up by
the IZL near Rehovoth, killing eight
persons.
Apr. 25:
Five
Britishers
were
killed
in
a
Stern
Groupattack
on the Sarona
police compound.
Apr.
28: The specialsessionof the GeneralAs-
sembly
to
study
the Palestine issue
opened
in
New
York.
May
4:
2I 6
prisoners, 3
of whomwere
Jews,
were
freedby
an
IZL attack
on
the
central
prison
at
Acre.
May 7: ColonialSecretary
Arthur Creech
Jones
told the House
of
Commons
hat in the
year
ended
Apr.30, I947, 97
terrorists n
Palestine
hadbeen
sentenced
o
prison,
and 28
sentenced
to death.
May8: The JewishAgencycasewaspresented
o
the First
(Political
and
Security)
Committee
f
the General
Assemblyby
Dr.
Abba Hillel
Sil-
ver. (Text
in
New
York
Times, May 9,
I947,
page 4.)
May
9:
Henry
Cattan
addressed
he General
As-
sembly's
First Committeeon behalf of
the
Palestinian
Arabs. (Text
in New
York
Times,
May iO, I947, page 5.)
May
Ii:
Fifty suspected
errorists
weresent
from
Palestineto Gilgil, Kenya
Colony,East
Africa.
May
13: The First Committee
of
the
General
Assemblyadopted hetermsof referenceorthe
special
committee
of
inquiry
on
Palestine.
(Text
in New York
Times,
May
I4,
I947,
p.
4.)
May
i4:
Andrei Gromyko,USSR representative
at
the specialsessionof the General
Assembly,
stated
Russian
policy
on
Palestine:
t
hoped
or
one
nation n Palestinewithguaranteesorboth
Jews
and
Arabs; or,
if
that
were
impossible,
partition.
(Text
in
New
York Times,May
IS,
1947,
page 8.)
May
I4-5:
The railroad
between
Haifa and
Lyddawas damagedby terrorists'mine blasts;
two
Britishofficerswere
killed and seven
other
persons
were
wounded.
May 15: The
special ession
of
the UnitedNations
General
Assemblywas
ended after the Assem-
bly
had
accepted the resolution
etting up
an
eleven-nation
ommittee
of
inquiry
to
investi-
gate the Palestine situation
and report by
Sept.
1,
1947.
May r6:
Official igures isted 75 dead and I96
injuredas the result
of
terrorists' ctivities ince
Jan. I, I947.
May
17:
The
Ha-Tiqvah,
with about
1,400
un-
authorized
Jewish
immigrants aboard, was
taken
by Britishforces.
May i8.:
Jewish
extremist
groups proclaimed
their refusalto
cease
activities
during
the
UN
inquiryunless the British
forces
in
Palestine
also refrained rom
their actions against un-
authorized
mmigration.
May
i9:
It was announced hat the
New Zionist
Organization,
which
had split
from the
World
Zionist
Organization n I935, had
been
dis-
solved.
May
21:
Members
of
Haganah
attacked
a
group
of "Arab
brigands"
who
had been
assaulting
Jewishsettlers
nearTel Aviv in recent
months;
one Arab
was
killed and seven wounded.
May
22:
Speaking
at
the
final
meeting
of
the
three-daysession
of
VaadLeumi,
David
Ben
Gurion,
chairman
f
the Executive
of the
Jew-
ish
Agency
for
Palestine, indicated
that
the
Zionistsmight accept
a
formof
partition.
May
23: The Mordei
ha-Getaot,
with
i,0oo
un-
authorized mmigrantsaboard, was taken by
Britishforces.
May 26:
A
JewishAgencyspokesman tated
that
Ben
Gurion'sviews
on
partition as expressed
on
May
22
werehisown
and not officialJewish
Agencypolicy.
May
27:
The
railroad
ine
was
attacked
in
three
places
near
Lydda
and Haifa
the first
act
by
terrorists ince May 14-15.
May 29:
BritishForeignSecretaryBevin, speak-
ing
at
the
Labor
Party
conference,
tated
that
he
personally
would
not feel bound by any
United Nations decision regardingPalestine
unless t was unanimous.
LondonTimes,May
30, 1947,
page 4.)
May
31:
399
unauthorized immigrants
from
French North
Africa reached Palestine
under
British
naval escort.
Saudi
Arabia
CHRONOLOGY
'947
Apr.
4:
L'Orient,quoting alif Ba,
Damascus
newspaper, eported hat King Ibn Saud
had
prohibited mmigration
nto Saudi Arabia of
nationals
of
the Yemen and the
Hadramaut.
Apr. 7:
The SupremeNational Defense
Council
of
Chinaapproved he
recent amity pact be-
tween China
and SaudiArabia.
Syria
CHRONOLOGY
'947
Apr.
2:
Paul
H.
Alling,
ConsulGeneral t
Tangier,
was
nominated American Minister to
Syria.
(Palestine
Affairs,Apr.
I947,
page 44.)
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3I8
THE
MIDDLE EAST
JOURNAL
Apr. 1o:
Syria oined
the
InternationalBank for
Reconstructionand
Developmentand the In-
ternational
MonetaryFund.
Apr. 23: Nain Antaki,vice
president f the Syrian
delegation
o UN, and
Dr.
FaridZayn al-Din,
new Syrianminister to Moscow,arrived n the
U.S.
Apr. 28:
Syria and the U. S.
signed
an
air agree-
ment
allowing
Pan
Americanto make traffic
stops
at
Damascus.
May
12:
The Prime Minister announced that
Syriawouldget LS 750,ooo
a
year
for the
right
of
passageand protection f the IraqPetroleum
Company'spipe lines which
crossSyria.
May
20:
A
law
providing
or
a
three-yearprison
sentence
or
any Syrian
selling
and
in Palestine
to Jews or smuggling Jews into Palestine
through
Syria
was
promulgatedby
President
Shukri
al-Quwwatli.
May 27: President
Shukri
al-Quwwatlisigned
decrees
providing
or
directelection
of
deputies
to
Parliament, lections
being
scheduled
or
the
first twoweeks n July.
Trans
ordan
CHRONOLOGY
I947
Mar.
I:
The
new
constitution
or
the
Kingdom
of
Transjordanbecame effective. (For text, see
page
322.)
Mar.
22:
King
Abdallahdeclaredhis
opposition
to
partition
of
Palestine,
and
announced
hat if
Britain
evacuated any
of
the country, his
forceswouldoccupy
t.
Apr.
4:
L'OrientBeirut)reported
hat the
Turko-
TransjordanTreaty
became effective
through
an
exchange
of
ratifications.
Apr.
IO:
Nuri al-Said Pasha, presidentof the
Iraqi
Senate,
arrived
n Amman
to
begin dis-
cussions
on
steps
to
bring
about
a
union of
the
two
countries
in
regard
to
finances, foreign
affairs,and defense.
May
12:
It was reported
that
Transjordan
had
given
Petroleum
Development
(Transjordan)
Ltd.,
a
subsidiary
f
the
IPC, 75 year rights
to
explore
and
develop
oil
and
gas
resources
n
Transjordan.
(Terms
in
brief
in
New
York
Times,May I3, I947, page
27.)
Turkey
CHRONOLOGY
I947
Mar.
Zr:
Turkey
became
a
member
of
the
Inter-
national
Monetary
Fund
and
the
International
Bank for
Reconstruction
nd
Development.
Mar. 12:
In a
message
to
Congress,
President
Truman
urged an
extension
of
assistance
to
Turkeyand
Greece.
Textin
New York
Times,
Mar.
I3, 1947,
page
2.)
Mar.20:
EdwinC.
Wilson,
U. S.
Ambassador o
Turkey,
arrived n
theU. S.
Apr.
4:
L'Orient
Beirut)
reportedhat
the
Turko-
Transjordan
Treaty
became
effective
through
an
exchange f
ratifications.
Apr.
6-7:
By-elections
ornine
vacant
Parliament
seatswere
heldandwon
by
the
People's
Party
candidates;
he
Democrats
didnot
participate.
Apr.
9:
It
was
announced
hatnearly
Soo
British
fighter
planesof
World
War
II
type
had been
sold toTurkey,andthatTurkeyhadhirednine
American
xperts o aid
in
the
reorganizationf
railroads,
sea
transport,
and
telephone and
telegraph
ommunications.
Apr.
so: Ahmet
Emin
Yalman,
publisher of
Vatan,
and two
membersof
his staff
were
sen-
tenced
to five
months
imprisonmenton
the
chargethat
articles n
Vatan
had
offended he
dignity of the
mayorof Izmir.
Apr. 13:
An
American
elegation
of four
Senators
and
six
Representatives
isited
Ankara.
A,pr.
8:
Ambassador
Wilson
returned o
Ankara.
May
i:
Italo-Turkish rade treaty became ef-
fective.
May2:
The U. S.
aircraft arrier
Leyte,
he
cruiser
Dayton,
and
the escort
destroyers
Purdy
and
Bristol
paid
an
official
isit
to
Istanbul.
May
5: The
Simplon
Express,
Paris
to
Istanbul,
resumed
operations.
(London
Times, May
8,
I947,
page3.)
May
ii:
The
death sentence
was
approved
by
the National
Assembly
for
two
Turkish
citi-
zens,
Mustafa
Abdullah
Sagir
and Ivan
Mi-
emso,convictedof espionageon behalf of the
USSR
in the
Kars
area.
May I2:
President
Ismet
In6nii
announced hat
Turkey would
use the
prospective
U.
S. loan
for
military
purposes,
and
would
seek
in
addi-
tion
a
loan from the InternationalBank.
May I9:
The
ailing
Patriarchof the
GreekOrtho-
dox Church,
Maximos
V,
left Istanbul
for
Greece.
An
American aval
missionarrived
n Ankara
on
a
two-day
visit.
May
22:
President
Truman
signed
the
Greek-
TurkishAid Bill. (For text of bill see Depart-
ment
of State
Bulletin,June
I, I947,
p.
I070ff.)
May
2f:
Eight American-built
minesweepers
operated
by
the
British since
the
Normandy
invasionwere
turned
over
to
the
Turkish
Gov-
ernment.
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8/10/2019 Middle East Chronology: March 1st to May 31st, 1947
14/14
DEVELOPMENTS OF THE QUARTER
3I9
May 25: Nazmi
Kismir,TurkishFinance Minis-
ter, announceddecrees ending restrictions
on
foreign capital,
so making it possible for for-
eign enterprise o invest
in
Turkish
industry
and to take profits
out of the country,
and also
facilitating he drawingof foreignexchangeby
tourists.
May
28:
Martial aw for Istanbuland
five
adjoin-
ing provinces
of
northwestern
Turkey was
ex-
tended
for anothersix months by Parliament,
the fourteenth
imesince 940.
The movewas
protestedby the oppositionDemocratic
Party.
Yemen
CHRONOLOGY
'947
May
24: An
agreementwas signedwith
the U. S.
granting he Yemencreditup to
$I,ooo,ooo
or
thepurchase fsurplusmaterial rom heForeign
LiquidationCommission eforeJan.
I,
I948.
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