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United Nations Mission to Palestine

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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Henderson, F. P.

The United Nations General Assembly convened its first special session from 28 April to 15 May 1947 to consider the problem of Palestine. The Assembly established the Special Committee on Palestine and asked it to prepare a report and propose a solution for the problem. The Committee recommended the partition of Palestine into two states with special international status for Jerusalem. The Security Council adopted the resolution and called for an immediate truce. On May 14,1948, the Assembly adopted a resolution which affirmed its support for the efforts of the Security Council to secure a truce, and appointed a U.N. Mediator in Palestine, Count Folke Bernadotte of Sweden. However, also on the same day, a Jewish state, Israel, was proclaimed, and war broke out, with several Arab armies becoming engaged. On May 22, 1948, the Security Council called for a stop to all military action and for all the parties to facilitate the task of the U.N. Mediator. The Council instructed the Mediator and the Truce Commission to supervise the observance of these provisions and decided to provide them with a sufficient number of military observers. The observers formed the basis of what later became the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization. The Security Council issued truce directives, ordering an immediate and unconditional cease-fire and the demilitarization of the city of Jerusalem. On September 17, 1948, the Security Council was shocked after learning of the assassination of the U.N. Mediator, Count Bernadotte. He was then replaced by Dr. Ralph J. Bunche.

The collection consists of a memorandum and typed copies of the "Summaries of the Daily Operations" of the United Nations Mission Mediator to Palestine in 1948-1949. These daily operations summaries were initiated by Henderson who had arrived at the Mission Headquarters in Haifa, Palestine, one week after September 17, 1948, the day Count Folke Bernadotte, first U.N. Mediator, was assassinated in Jerusalem. Dr. Ralph Bunche was named Acting Mediator following Bernadotte during this "Truce" period. In his memorandum, Henderson explains that it was the lack of communication between the U.N. Headquarters and its field agencies, and the total absence of any kind of documentation with regards to the activities of all the parties involved in the conflict (including Jerusalem, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Jordan), which prompted him to order the implementation of the daily procedure of record collecting. These records were meant to be a documentation of all the activities and violations of the Truce or Mediator's decisions as a basis for later armistice or peace negotiations, or for an historical record of the conflict and the U.N.'s first attempt to stop a conflict and re-store peace. There are 145 summaries, typed in both English and French, dating from September 29, 1948, to February 24, 1949 -- all sent from the U.N.'s Mediator's Headquarters Advance Command Post in Haifa, addressed to "All SUNMO's" (Senior United Nations Military Observers). Also included are two maps of North and South Palestine from 1946 and 1947 taped together, which are also autographed by Henderson, and clippings of several political cartoons.

Also included are two maps of North and South Palestine from 1946 and 1947 taped together and autographed by Henderson, and newspaper clippings of political cartoons, some from The New York Times from 1956 and 1959.

Folders arranged in chronological order, with the forlders for the map and the cartoons being in the end.

Gift of Brig. Gen. F. P. Henderson, on June 14, 1970.

AM 20344.

Folder inventory added by Nicholas Williams '2015 in 2012.

No appraisal information is available.

Publisher
Manuscripts Division
Finding Aid Date
2008
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. No further photoduplication of copies of material in the collection can be made when Princeton University Library does not own the original. Inquiries regarding publishing material from the collection should be directed to RBSC Public Services staff through the Ask Us! form. The library has no information on the status of literary rights in the collection and researchers are responsible for determining any questions of copyright.

Collection Inventory

Summaries of Daily Operations Activities, 1948 September 29-October 31. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Summaries of Daily Operations Activities, 1948 November 1-30. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Summaries of Daily Operations Activities, 1948 December 1-30. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Summaries of Daily Operations Activities, 1949 January 1-28. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Summaries of Daily Operations Activities, 1949 February 1-24. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Memorandum on the Daily Operation Summaries, 1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Political Cartoons: 4 Newspaper Clippings, 1956-1959. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Map of Southern Palestine, 1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

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