roncluding bastallment of Weizmann Autobiography
"The. Historic Day of May 5: The Rise of the
Stale of Israel and America's Recognition
As One President to Another
from Madison Square Garden,
where the Jews of New York
were celebrating at a mass rally
which I could not attend be-
cause of ill health. He brought
definite confirmation of the re-
port. That evening my friends
gathered in our hotel apart-
ment, and raised glasses of
champagne in a toast to the
President of Israel
President of Israel.
XIII
The next day I received a
Epilogue
more detailed report of the pro-
By the time I arrived in Washington (March 18, 1948), ceedings in Tel Aviv. The Min-
th4 adverse tide had apparently become irresistible. I saw iSter of Justice, Dr. Felix Rosen-
President Truman, who was sympatheti6 personally, but I blueth, had proposed my elec-
doubt whether he himself was aware of the extent to which tion. Mr. Ben-Gurion, Prime
his own policy 'and purpose had been balked by subordinates Minister and Minister of De-
in the State Department. On the following day, Senator Aus- fense, had seconded it. He did
tin, the United States 'representative in the Security Coun- not conceal the many differ-
cil, announced the reversal of American policy. He proposed ences of opinion which had
us in recent years. He
that the implementation of partition be suspended, that a divided
went on,. however, to say: "I
truce be arranged in Palestine, and that a special session of doubt whether the Presidency is
—International Soundphoto
the General Assembly be called in order to approve a trustee- necessary to Dr. Weizmann, but
the President of the United States to the President
Said
ship. In spite of all the forewarnings, the blow was sudden, the Presidency of Dr. Weizmann of Israel . . well, anyway you get the idea as President and
bitter and, on the surface, fatal to our long nurtured hopes. is a moral necessity for the Mrs. Truman greet Israel's President and Mrs. Chaim Weiz-
In the swift movement of re-
State of Israel." I quote these
at Blair House, where the Trumans entertained at lunch.
•
of Israel."
cent events a great part of the State
words, at the risk of incurring mann
This
historic
statement
must
public may already have forgot-
the charge of immodesty, only
regarded not only as an act as an indication of the essential
ten how dark the picture looked be
of
high
statesmanship: it had unity of purpose which under-
for us then. The United States a peculiar
and significant fit-
delegation, led by Senator Aus- nesS, for it set the seal on lay all those struggles of ideology
tin, called on me at my hotel America's long and generous and method which formed part
room and tried to enlist my
of our movement. But I will not
Mr. Heyman, nationally prom-
Friends of the late Samuel
support for the trusteeship pro- record of support of Zionist as- deny that the occasion was one
Noah Heyman, who died on inent as an engineer, was one
posal. I must have astonished pirations.
which
filled
me
with
pride
as
On May 15, a great wave of
as well as disappointed. them,
well as with a feeling of deep April 23 at his home, 4031 Glen- of the organizers of Young Ju-
dale, joined forces this week to daea and the Jewish National
for I declared bluntly that I put rejoicing spread throughout the -humility.
Jewish
world.
We
were
face
to
honor his memory by planting a
no stock in the legend of Arab
Visit
With
Truman
grove of a minimum of 1,000 Fund Council in Detroit and was
military might, and that I con- face with the basic realities,
My
first
official
act
as
Presi-
and
this
was
what
we
had
sidered the intention of Pales-
dent of the State of Israel and trees is Israel, through the Jew- among the firSt Zithaist leaders
in the District plan, which be-
tine Jewry to proclaim its inde- asked for. If the State of Israel my last on American soil was ish National Fund.
Non-Jewish friends and for- gan here with Rabbi A. M.
pendence the day the mandate could defend itself, survive and to accept the invitation of the
ended thoroughly justified and remain effective, it would do so President of the United States mer professional associates of Hershman as first president.
largely on its own. The issue
eminently realistic.
to be his guest in Washington. Mr. Heyman contributed liber-
Former Young Judaeans vol-
Then, when the General As- would be decided, as we were I found Pennsylvania Avenue ally to this fund which is ex-
sembly of the United Nations willing it should be, by the basic decked with flags of the United pected to be oversubscribed and untarily helped swell the Hey-
reconvened in mid-April, the strength and solidity of the or- States and Israel. In the course which is being contributed man Memorial Grove fund, con-
realities had begun to emerge. ganism which we had created of our interview I expressed our through voluntary gifts, with- tributions to which continue. to
come to the JNF office.
The so-called liberation Army of in the last fifty years,
out solicitations.
Amidst the avalanche of mes- gratitude to the President for
Fawzi Kawukji had been sound-
the
initiative
he
had
taken
in
ly trounced at Mishmar Ha- sages reaching me from Tel the immediate recognition of particular twist of historic irony, Switzerland, I write these clos-
Emek. In some parts of the Aviv, there was one signed by the new state. As a gift sym- the main operations of this ing lines to the first part of a
country the Jewish forces had the five Labor party leaders in bolizing the Jewish tradition, I force were directed against the story which is not yet half told—
assumed the offensive. Depart- t h e provisional government, presented him with a scroll of Holy City. The Hebrew Univer- is, indeed, hardly begun. Of the
ments of centralized government• David Berl Gurion, Eliezer Kap- the Torah, We discussed the sity and the . Hadassah Medical crowded events of the last few
were being created in areas lan, Golda Meyerson, David Re- economic and political aid which Center were under bombard- months, of the first struggles
where the British were progress- mez and Moshe Shertok: "On the State of Israel would need ment, Jewish shrines in Jeru- and triumphs of. the infant state
ively evacuating. It was clear the occasion of the establish- in the critical months that lay salem which had survived the of Israel, of truces and renewed
attacks of mediation and of old
that while the United Nations ment of the Jewish State we ahead. The
•
President showed attacks of barbarians in me-
was debating trusteeship, the send our greetings to you, who special interest in the question dieval times were being laid to solutions in new guises, I will
Jewish state was coming into have done more than any other of a loan for development proj- waste. An atmosphere had been not speak here. These matters
being. In Palestine, ''where the living man toward its creation." ects and in using the influence created in which the ideals of are too close to be evaluated.
doubts and hesitations which . . . Two days later, when I was of the United States to insure the State of Israel and the poli- All I have written is by way of
reigned at Lake Success found resting in my hotel from the the defense of Israel—if pos- cies of Great Britain, under Mr. introduction, one of the many
that may yet be writ-
no echo, there was no thought fatigue of the preceding weeks, sible, by preventing Arab aggres- Bevin's direction, were brought prefaces
ten to the new history of Israel.
of relinquishing the rights con- a message reached me that, ac- sion through United Nations ac- into bloody conflict.
writing has . been for me a
ferred on us and by a suicidal cording to one of the news tion, or if war continued to be
I had no place in England at Its
labor compounded of pain and
the Provisional Council
act of self-denial refusing state- agencies,
such
a
time,
and
I
felt
it
to
be
forced
upon
us,
by
insuring
that
of State had elected me as its
but I am thankful to
hood.
a bitter incongruity that I pleasure,
we had the necessary arms.
lay it aside in favor of more
In the second week of May, president. I attached no cre-
should
not
be
able
to
set
foot
The following day I set sail
I affirmed my intention of dence to the report, thinking it for Europe. It had been my in a country whose people and active and practical pursuits. If
anything I have said should lead
unlikely
that
the
Council
of
going ahead with a bid for
original intention to go again institutions I held in high
recognition of the Jewish State, absorbed with a thousand to England for personal and esteem, and with which I had the reader to look more under-
State as soon as it was pro- urgent problems, of which not fdmily reasons. I now felt that I so long and so stubbornly sought standingly and more kindly on
claimed. On May 13, I wrote the least were the dangers of was no longer free to do so. to link the Jewish people by ties the early chapters of our new I
Mr. Truman expressing my the Arab invasion, would have Arab armies_were attacking Is- of mutual interest and co-opera- history now in the making,
hope that the United States been giving thought to thiS rael by land and from the air. tion. So I decided to arrange shall feel amply rewarded.
This is a serialization of parts of "Trial
would promptly recognize the matter. A few hours later, how- The spearhead of this aggression my affairs in France. From and
Error." by Chaim Weizmann, pub-
provisional government. On ever, the same message was re- was the Arab Legion of Trans- France we proceeded to Switzer- lished by Harper & Brothers. Copyright,
the 14th of May, the President peated over the radio and was Jordan, equipped by British re- land, where I planned to take a 1949, by the Weizmann Foundation.
and his advisers were in con- picked up in the adjoining room sources, financed by the British much-needed rest before going
stant consultation on the Pal- where my wife was entertain- treasury, trained and command- on to Israel to assume my duties. 24—THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, May 6, 1949
estine issue. The Assembly of ing friends. Almost at the same ed by British officers. By a
Here, in the quiet of Glion,
the United Nations was still moment, Aubrey Eban came in
prod.ced by NORMAN and SOL NODEL
in session. In Palestine the
P. UTNE rk
MARC
text
DAVID
REMEZ
LIVES
OF
OUR
TIMES
British mandate had only a
few more hours to run. And
AFTER FINISHING HIS CONSCRIPTION TERM IN
an historic assembly of the
A FOUNDER AND LEADER OF HISTADRUT,
THE TURKISH ARMY,HE CAME TO PALESTINE IN
representatives of the Yishuv
ISRAELI MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS...
1908,WHERE HE WORKED AS AN AGRICULTURAL
was convoked in Tel Aviv, and
LABORER IN JEWISH COLONIES.
proclaimed to the world the
rightful independence of the
Jewish 'State, to take effect as
of the hour of the termination
of the British mandate.
At a few minutes past six
o'clock, American tithe--; unof-
ficial news reached Lake-Success
that the Jewish state had been
r
recognized by the government
HE HELPED TO ORGANIZE THE HISTADRUT IN I920
HIGH
BORN IN 1886 AND EDUCATED IN RUSSIAN
of the United States. The dele-
AND HAS BEEN ONE OF ITS LEADERS EVER SINCE.
SCHOOLS,HE STUDIED LAW IN ISTANBUL,TURKEY.
gates were incredulous, which
perhaps was natural at a time
AT 63,HE IS DETERMINED TO ADVANCE
AUTHOR OF MANY ARTICLES IN DOMESTIC
HIS ARDENT INTEREST IN ZIONIST AFFAIRS
ISRAEL'S INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND HAS
when many wild rumors were
AND FOREIGN PUBLICATIONS,HE VISUAL-
LED TO HIS BEING AMONG THOSE INTERNED
-
PAVED THE WAY FOR EXPANDED TRAFFIC
running through the corridors
IZES THE AMALGAMATION OF MANUAL &
BY THE BRITISH AT LATRUN IN 1946.
BETWEEN ISRAEL AND ABROAD
MENTAL LABOR AS THE BASIS FOR THE
of the United Nations building.
JEWISH STATE.
Finally, after much confusion,
Dr. Jessup rose to read the fol-
lOwing statement from the
White House : .
"This government has been
informed that a Jewish state
has been proclaimed in Pales-
tine, and recognition has been
ADVOCATING COMPROMISE AND CONCILIATION,
requested by the provisional
NE HAS SERVED ON MANY MEDIATION
government itself. The United
BODIES AND COMMITTEES AT ZIONIST
States recognizes the pro-
CONGRESSES.
visional government as the de
facto authority of the new
After the United Nations Partition decision, Chaim Weizmann
set out for Palestine. He and his wife had reached London when
it developed that the British, by allowing Arab attacks to spread
and by refusing to co-operate with the United Nations Commission,
apparently were attempting to thwart the decision.
,So Dr. Weizmann returned to America, to restore the ebbing
Zionist cause. He concludes his autobiography:
By Chaim Weizmann
Heyman's Memory Honored With
Grove of Trees in State of Israel
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