President Truman admitted it himself: “We set up the Israeli government in Palestine, moved some of the Arabs out.”
Harry Truman recognized Israel on May 14, 1948, minutes after independence was declared. Official statement: the U.S. recognizes the provisional government as the de facto authority of the new State of Israel.
The footage is from unused 1964–65 interviews for Decision: The Conflicts of Harry S. Truman, held by the Truman Library. He said extreme Zionists wanted all of Palestine on a silver plate, it “couldn’t be done,” so they took it in small doses — because you can’t empty a country of millions and refill it and expect both peoples to be pleased.
Truman was also the first U.S. president to receive the 33rd degree of the Scottish Rite (Oct. 19, 1945) and a Past Grand Master of Missouri.
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