A safe haven : Harry S. Truman and the founding of Israel

by Allis Radosh. The alliance between the U.S. and Israel, which now appears indivisible, is actually of fairly recent vintage. In fact, American support for the partition of Palestine and the recognition of an independent Jewish state in 1948 was no sure thing. It happened primarily due to the sympathy and decision of President Truman. While he had Jewish friends, Truman was not free of common American prejudices concerning Jews. He had no particular emotional commitment to the Zionist goal of Jewish sovereignty in Palestine, and he often bristled at the relentless stridency of Zionist lobbying. The authors illustrate the equally intense pressures applied upon Truman by State Department professionals, most of whom were sympathetic to Arab goals in Palestine. In most cases, Truman leaned heavily upon the advice of the secretary of state regarding foreign policy, and George Marshall was intensely opposed to partition. The authors assert that Truman was moved by his awareness of Jewish suffering and the plight of hundreds of thousands of Jews still languishing in DP camps. This is an excellent examination of a presidential decision that has had immense historical consequences. --Booklist (Check Catalog)