James Forrestal counseled against the partition plan for Palestine.
Posted by The Pete Quiñones Show, Checked
- Sources
- 4 support3 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
The Pete Quiñones ShowOct 1, 2026
Multiple independent primary and reference sources (the OSD Historical Office study, a Oklahoma State academic article, FRUS documents, and EBSCO) state that Secretary of Defense James Forrestal opposed the partition of Palestine, arguing it would endanger relations with Arab oil states and US interests.
What was said
… Um, so, uh, um, maybe, maybe 30% of Jews were very interested in Zionism at the time. The U.S. Was run by Jews, very probably from the beginning, although the oil companies were iffy about it for very obvious reasons. People like James Forrestal, um, really counseled against the partition plan, which would have created, uh, Israel as an ethnic unit, which, by the way, you know, in and of itself, I have no difficulty with, uhm. …
The Pete Quiñones Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The OSD Historical Office study states that Forrestal worried Truman's support for a Jewish state would alienate Arab oil producers and compel military intervention, and that Truman acted against Forrestal's advice.[1]
Supports. An academic article on Forrestal says his most controversial position was opposition to the partition of Palestine, and that his reasons were endangering Middle Eastern relations and oil supplies.[2]
Supports. EBSCO's reference entry states that as defense secretary Forrestal argued against a partition of Palestine in 1947-1948.[4]
Supports. The FRUS 1948 document records a Policy Planning Staff position opposing further US initiative in implementing partition, consistent with the wider internal opposition Forrestal shared.[3]
Context. The NYT 1951 review of Forrestal's notes and the Wikipedia and Geni entries describe his private cabinet-meeting appeals to Truman against basing the partition decision on political pressure.[5][6][7]
Sources
7 sources: 3 primary, 3 not rated, 1 tier 2
- 1[PDF] James Forrestal - OSD Historical Officehistory.defense.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 2Madness and Politics: The Case of James Forrestalojs.library.okstate.edu · primary source · cited for: supports
- 3Foreign Relations of the United States, 1948, The Near East, South ...history.state.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4James Forrestal | History | Research Starters | EBSCOhostebsco.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5THE PAPERS OF A DEFENSE SECRETARY; James Forrestal's Notes, Kept During Five Crucial Years, Reveal His Views and Hopes The Papers of a Defense Secretarynytimes.com · tier 2 · cited for: context
- 6James Forrestal - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org · not rated · cited for: context
- 7James Forrestal, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, 1st U.S. Secretary of Defensegeni.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Bernard Baruch confronted James Forrestal on February 3, 1948, regarding U.S. support for Jewish interests in Palestine.True
- Felix Frankfurter, Bernard Baruch, and Henry Morgenthau pressured the U.S. government regarding the partition of Palestine.True
- Andrei Gromyko made the speech at the United Nations supporting the partition of Palestine.True
- The U.S. State Department in 1948 stated that the plan for dividing Palestine would require genocide.Can’t tell
- The U.S. State Department stated in the 1940s that the plan for dividing Palestine would require genocide.Can’t tell