America’s Jerusalem Policy, 1947–1948

The author's study describes the struggle to determine the status of Jerusalem from the time when the subject came up on the agenda of the United Nations Organization, and the course of the US policy on this issue. He traces the steps of the political development and examines the manifold factors which influenced the resurgence of the internationalization proposal, and the ways and means of determining the status of the city through measures adopted by the Special Committee of the United Nations Organization. There follows an analysis of the breakdowns in the adaptation of the internationalization plan during the special session of the General Assembly in 1948. The discussions were not brought to a conclusion and the project was allowed to lapse. The author has made good use of the official documentation and a variety of other sources, which not only help to fill the missing details, but also enlarge and deepen our knowledge of the background, explaining the different and particular interests of those concerned with the problems of Jerusalem from different standpoints – religious, national, political and social.