Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel

by Michael T. Benson

Overview

Harry S. Truman sensed something profound and meaningful in the Jewish restoration to Palestine, something which transcended other considerations. As the president recorded in his Memoirs, the Palestine question was a basic human problem. In the end, Truman was willing to go against the current of his most trusted foreign policy advisers, who were absolutely opposed to the establishment of a Jewish state in the Middle East. These advisers argued that however humanitarian a Jewish homeland might seem, such a proposition posed a real risk to American interests in the Near East and to United States national security in the late 1940s. Despite their continued opposition, Truman stood his ground and maintained that he would decide the entire issue based on what he thought was right. Of interest to historians, and students of Israel and of the U.S. presidency.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275958077
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/16/1997
Series:	Praeger Studies in Diplomacy and
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 6.20(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	1790L (what's this?)

About the Author

MICHAEL T. BENSON is President of Snow College. /e

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
Introduction
Bible and Sword Redux: Balfour, Wilson, Roosevelt, and the Question of Palestine
The Man from Missouri
Truman and the Formulation of Foreign Policy
Truman's Early Views on Zionism and the Development of His Presidential Policy on Palestine
The Issue of Immigration
State Department Opposition
The American Jewish Lobby and Its Impact on the President
Enter the United Nations
A President from Independence, a Chemist from Pinsk, and a Haberdasher from Kansas City
March 1948 and the American Reversal of Its Palestine Policy
Showdown in the Oval Office: 12 May 1948
Truman Recognizes Israel
The Election of 1948: Truman and the Jewish Vote
The Aftermath of American Recognition
Conclusion
Selected Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Challenges the almost universal belief that US president Truman recognized the nascent state of Israel in 1948 over objections of his advisors in order to capture votes and political support from American Jews in the upcoming election. Argues instead that he had humanitarian, moral, and sentimental motivations, many of them grounded in his religious upbringing and familiarity with the Bible. Finds parallels between the US and British actions and goals. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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