Origins of the 1950 tripartite declaration on the Middle East

Abstract

In view of the fact that Acheson, perhaps more than anyone else, was the moving spirit behind the Declaration, it is somewhat surprising that he fails to recall the considerations which underlay its formulation. Perhaps the blatant failure of the Declaration in 1956 when the United States lined up with the Soviet Union to condemn its European allies prompted Acheson to disclaim any undue measure of responsibility for the document.3 However, the newly opened archival sources in London and Washington provide fresh insight into the critical elements which entered into the making of this historic document. The archival papers reveal a divergency of motive which goes far to explain why the Declaration never emerged as an effective instrument for restraining the tempests of war in the Middle East.. The starting point for tracing the origins of the Tripartite Declaration is Israel's growing concern in mid-1949 over the emergence of a Middle East arms race. In the early part of the year Israel and the Arab states had concluded armistice agreements which put an end to the 1948 conflict.4 However, to Israel's chagrin, these agreements were not, as was widely expected, harbingers of peace. In fact, voices were increasingly heard in Arab capitals calling for a 'second round' of fighting to eliminate the Jewish state. Arab governments seemed bent on obtaining mass quantities of arms which, given their offensive nature and number, could not be intended for any purpose other than a new military campaign against the state of Israel.5 Despite the ominous sounds emanating from Arab capitals, the United Nations acting-Mediator, Ralph Bunche, recommended to the Security Council on 21 July 1949 that, with the conclusion of the armistice agreements, the role of mediator be terminated6 and the restrictions imposed on the parties by Security Council resolutions be removed. Those resolutions included a prohibition on the import of arms. Already on 10 June, fully a month earlier, the Egyptian government had turned to the United States with a request for arms.7 On 25 July the request was repeated,8 and five days later Syria submitted its own shopping list of weapons.9 Throughout 1948, the year of Israel's struggle for independence, the