Abstract
The chapter describes events surrounding the “Showdown in the Oval Office” between presidential adviser Clark Clifford and the secretary of state, George Marshall, about whether Truman should recognize the state of Israel. Though the president did so, in accord with the enormous enthusiasm Israel’s establishment aroused among in American public opinion, especially among liberals, he did not lift the arms embargo, even after the Arab states’ invasion of May 15, 1948. The chapter examines the unsuccessful effort waged by members of Congress, led by Emanuel Celler, voices in the liberal press, and by former under secretary of state Sumner Welles to urge Truman to lift the embargo. The US national security leadership continued to justify the embargo by referring to the danger of antagonizing the Arabs, and facilitating Soviet expansion which, they argued, the new Jewish state would advance.
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