Typed Letter Signed, on official letterhead, written to the Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP), welcoming the Committee members to Jerusalem and offering full co-operation of the High Commissioner’s office.

CUNNINGHAM, ALAN

14th June

Jerusalem

1947

Chaired by Emil Sandstrom and with representatives of eleven nations, the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine was created on May 15th, 1947 in response to a request by the British government to investigate and resolve the conflict in Palestine. The Committee visited Palestine and collected testimony from Zionist organizations while the Arab Higher Committee boycotted the assembly. As a result, On September 3rd, 1947 the Report of the Committee supported the termination of the British Mandate in Palestine and proposed a Plan of Partition into two independent states. Sir Alan Cunningham (1887-1983) was the seventh and last High Commissioner of Palestine, serving in this position from November 1945 until May 13th, 1948. The following day the independent State of Israel was proclaimed.